Welcome to the Vura-Weis Research Group!
We solve problems in energy, catalysis, and biology using advanced spectroscopic techniques such as tabletop x-ray transient absorption spectroscopy. See the research page for more details
Group Photo Spring 2024
News
07/2024
Jacky discovers an elusive ferrocene quintet state in ferrocene-colbaltocenium dimers. It took transient absorption spectroscopy in the IR, Vis, UV, and Hard X-ray regions to figure this out! See their new paper in JACS
07/2024
Justin's paper on excited-state Jahn-Teller distortions in Co(ppy)3 is published in Inorg Chem
06/2024
~500 scientists from 22 countries come to Urbana this month for the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy.
06/2024
Exciting times for the group: Dr. Meghan Orr joins us as a postdoc, Chandler joins us for the summer as a St. Elmo Brady Scholar, and we get Mandela full-time for the summer.
06/2024
Ryan's paper on the vibration-mode specificity of M-edge XANES is submitted.
05/2024
Maren travels to Utrecht to spend the summer learning about X-ray circular dichorism from Frank de Groot. Safe travels and learn lots!
05/2024
Justin submits their work on Co(ppy)3 photophysics.Beware of Jahn-Teller distortions!.
05/2024
Jacky shows that ferrocene metal-centered excited states are important in donor-acceptor complexes. See the preprint.
04/2024
Rachel has an exciting month - she defended her thesis and her paper on Ni photochemistry was published in JPCL. She now moves to Argonne for a postdoc in Linda Young's group. Congrats and Good Luck!
01/2024
Jacky is spending this semester at LCLS as a DOE SCGSR Fellow
12/2023
Thanks to the generosity of Drs. Ving and May Lee, we received a Discovery Fund grant for Peisen to develop sensitive new Raman techniqes to probe electrochemical intervaces. This is a new collaboration with the Rodriguez-Lopez group
10/2023
Kailyn and Maren join the group. Welcome!
06/2023
The whole group hosts ~500 scientists from around the world for the 76th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy
06/2023
It's great to have fantastic collaborators: The VW lab is funded in two group grants, an AFOSR MURI on Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity and an NSF MRSEC on photoionic materials
03/2023
Justin's paper on using nested potentials to enforce long-lived MLCT states is published in JACS
02/2023
The group's work is recognized with the Richard Van Duyne Early Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry
02/2023
Ni photocatalysts are even more amazing than we thought - read about the mixed-spin ground state in (dtbbpy)Ni(o-tol)Cl in Rachel's newly-submitted paper on ChemRxiv. Bonus: transient XANES at both the L and K edges!
12/2022
Our first collaborative work with the Ren group at Purdue is submitted: designing nested excited-state potential energy surfaces to prolong MLCT lifetimes in Fe(II) complexes. Check it out at ChemRxiv
12/2022
New element unlocked - Clare's paper on Ir photochemisty at the O3 and N6,7 edges is published in JPCA
12/2022
Laura and Jacky travel to the LCLS free-electron laser to study the photophysics of iron porphyrins. We love XUV, but hard X-rays are cool too...
10/2022
Erin and Peisen join the group. Welcome!
08/2022
Clare's foundational work on XUV transient absorption spectroscopy of Ir photocatalysts is submitted, check it out on ChemRxiv
06/2022
Kori and Clare figure out why mu-oxo bisporphyin photocatalysts have such low quantum yields - see submitted paper at ChemRxiv
05/2022
Exciting month for the group: Aastha, Clare, Yusef defend their dissertations. Congratulations Drs. Sharma, Leahy, and Shari'ati!
11/2021
Yusef's paper on intersystem crossing in Co4O4 is accepted in PCCP
11/2021
Max Verkamp's paper on carrier-specific cooling rates in perovskites is accepted in JACS after a long ordeal. Thanks to Josh L. and Aastha for helping get this over the finish line!
10/2021
Brandon and Laura join the group!
10/2021
Yusef's paper on XUV sample prep in polymer films is published at J Sync Rad
09/2021
Clare's paper on new metal chloride complexes with inter- and intra-ligand H-bonding is published in Dalton Trans
09/2021
We are funded by AFOSR DURIP to build a new HHG system, which will allow us to probe S, P, and C core-level spectra in the 100-300 eV energy region. WOOHOO new lasers!
08/2021
Yusef's paper on XUV sample prep in polymer films is submitted, posted to arXiv
06/2021
Taylor joins us for the summer as a St. Elmo Brady scholar
06/2021
Kori Sye defends her dissertation, is now Dr. Kori Sye. Congrats Kori!
03/2021
Kris Benke defends his dissertation, is now Dr. Kris Benke. Congrats Kris!
03/2021
NSF CSDM-A funds our continuing work on photoinduced intersystem crossing in Fe and Co chromophores
10/2020
Grant and Justin join the group
10/2019
Lauren and Jacky join the group
10/2019
Josh is selected as the winner of the 2019 Young Investigator Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society. Thanks to the selection committee and especially my awesome group for all the fantastic work!
10/2019
Kaili and Ryan's paper on FeII spin crossover is accepted in JACS
08/2019
Ryan's paper on Co valence tautomerization is accepted in J Chem Phys
06/2019
Max's paper on fast hot-hole cooling in CH3NH3PbI3 is submitted!
06/2019
Ryan's paper on photoincuded valence tautomerism in Co complexes is submitted. Check it out on ChemRxiv!
06/2019
Kaili and Ryan's paper on fs spin crossover in Fe(phen)3 is submitted. Check it out on ChemRxiv!
06/2019
NiOEP paper is published!
06/2019
Max defends his thesis. Congratulations Dr. Verkamp!
04/2019
Liz defends her thesis. Congratulations Dr. Ryland!
04/2019
Liz's paper on NiOEP photophysics is submitted.
08/2018
Josh co-organizes a 4-day symposium at the ACS meeting on "Chemical Applications of Ultrafast X-ray/XUV Spectroscoph and Scattering". Thanks to Renske Van der Veen and Philippe Wernet for great teamwork setting this up.
08/2018
Kaili's work on simulating excited-state M- and L-edges is published. Congrats Kaili!
06/2018
Max's collaboration with the Neese group is published. Ab initio simulations of M edges FTW!
06/2018
The VW group is recommended for funding from DOE Catalysis Science. We are excited to use our tools to study molecular catalysts from femtosecond to second timescales.
06/2018
The VW group recieves funding from AFOSR Molecular Dynamics and Theoretical Chemistry. Thrilled to stay part of that program!
05/2018
Ming-Fu and Max's paper on femtosecond XUV and UED probes of PbI2 dynamics is included in the J Phys Chem A Virtual Issue on New Tools and Methods in Experiment and Theory
04/2018
Congratulations to Dr. Michaela Carlson for successfully defending her thesis, and for accepting a tenure-track job as an Assistant Professor at Northland College.
03/2018
Liz's paper on the photophysics of FeTPPCl is accepted to JACS!
03/2018
Josh receives "Teachers Ranked as Excellent" recognition for Chem 203 in Fall 2017.
02/2018
Kaili's paper on simulations of XUV/X-ray spectra of excited states is submitted
11/2017
PbI2 paper published in JPCC. Congrats to Ming-Fu and Max
10/2017
Clare joins the group. Welcome!
03/2017
Suds and Yusef win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Congrats!
03/2017
Our first time-resolved work is submitted, showing unique signals for electrons and holes in PbI2. Read it on arXiv. Congrats to Ming-Fu and the whole team!
02/2017
Josh receives a Sloan Fellowship
10/2016
Aastha, Kori, Ryan, and Yusef join the group! Hooray for additional fantastic grad students!
10/2016
Josh receives ACS PRF funding
08/2016
Ming-Fu's paper in JOSA B is selected as an "Editor's Choice"
08/2016
Josh gives a poster-prize talk at the Gordon Conference on Electron Donor-Acceptor Interactions. Liz and Kaili presented posters to rave reviews
08/2016
Kail's paper is accepted in J Phys Chem Lett, Ming-Fu's paper is accepted in J Opt Sci Am B, and Kaili's collaboration with Frank de Groot is accepted in J Synch Rad.
01/2016
Josh is recommended for an NSF CAREER award
10/2015
Suds and Sean join the group. We will take a new picture once the weather cooperates
08/2015
Josh presents our preliminary results at the Boston ACS conference and the Soft X-ray in Energy and Time workshop in Berlin
10/2014
Kris joins the group!
01/2014
First Funding! Josh is named an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator
10/2013
Michaela, Liz, Max, and Kaili join the group as our first graduate students
10/2013
Josh's paper on XUV transient absorption of α-Fe2O3 is published in JPCL
09/2013
Dr. Ming-Fu Lin arrives, gets to work designing vacuum chambers
08/2013
Josh arrives at UIUC, begins to set up the lab
