Schulich Faculty of Chemistry
Prof. Mark Gandelman
Research Field: We conduct a wide range of projects on organic and organometallic chemistry, catalyst design, main group elements chemistry and asymmetric synthesis.
We design and develop organometallic and metal-free systems with fundamentally novel properties which can be used as catalysts for important yet problematic chemical reactions to build our sustainable future. We make a focus on the understanding of chemical and physical properties of these systems and the mechanistic features of their reactivity. Ideally, we aim for sustainable, environmentally benign one-pot reactions which generate minimal chemical waste, use non-toxic reagents and require little energy. During these projects students learn organic and inorganic synthesis, work with air sensitive materials, mechanistic analysis, multinuclear NMR, HPLC, GC, MS, X-ray among other analytical tools.
Required Background: Students studying Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or Materials program towards BSc or MSc degrees.
https://markgandelman.technion.ac.il/
Prof. Graham De-Ruiter
Research Field: Research in the “de Ruiter” laboratory encompasses all areas of inorganic and organometallic chemistry, but particularly centers around enabling environmentally friendly and earth-abundant metals to perform transformative chemistry akin to that of the precious metals (i.e. palladium, iridium, rhodium, etc.) To accomplish these challenges, my laboratory has developed three different pillars – that utilize the unique aspects of earth-abundant metals – for transforming synthetic organic chemistry.
In the first pillar, we use bespoke ligand design to develop new earth-abundant metal catalysts. By doing so, we have provided an innovative pathway wherein chemical methodologies that, hitherto, have proven to be challenging, are now available to the organic chemist for the very first time. In the second pillar, we direct our attention towards developing novel mechanisms for facilitating organic transformations. By utilizing distinct mechanistic pathways, the pitfalls of using earth-abundant metals in catalysis can be avoided. Finally, in the newly established third pillar, we explore the photophysical properties of earth-abundant metal complexes to enable new avenues in energy transfer and photoredox catalysis. In our laboratory we have recently developed iron complexes that exhibit room temperature fluorescence, a property that is typically associated with precious metals such as ruthenium. Although relatively new in my laboratory, students interested in further exploring the photo-physics of earth-abundant metal complexes are encouraged to apply.
Required Background: A background in organic/inorganic chemistry is preferred, with a specialization in organometallic chemistry.
Prof. Efrat Lifshitz
Research Field: Our group studies low-dimensional semiconductor solids using an interdisciplinary approach that combines material development (via chemical colloidal and vapor transport methods) with experimental and theoretical analysis of their optical and magneto-optical properties. We focus on van der Waals (vdWs) bulk and few-layered crystals and 2D and 3D perovskites, with an emphasis on how surfaces, interfaces, trapping/doping, and spin effects influence photophysics. Utilizing advanced magneto-optical techniques like optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), magneto-micro-photoluminescence (M-µPL), and microwave-modulated PL, we explore phenomena such as Auger quenching suppression, the Rashba effect, anisotropies, and magnetic-electronic coupling, addressing key challenges in optoelectronics and spin-based devices. Summer interns can participate in: (1) Preparing vdWs and perovskites and characterizing their structure and composition; (2) Investigating the magneto-optical properties of magnetic vdWs materials, exploring spin polarization, double valleys, anisotropy, and magnetic-exciton coupling; (3) Studying the magneto-optical properties of 3D and 2D perovskites, focusing on effects like dynamic Rashba, inversion symmetry breaking, and anharmonicity.
Required Background: The prospective intern should have a strong Chemistry background, with an adequate knowledge of solid-state physics and spectroscopy.
https://www.efratlifshitz.com/
Distinguished Prof. Ilan Marek
Research field: We are concerned with the design and development of new and efficient stereo- and enantioselective strategies for the synthesis of important complex molecular structures. We are particularly interested in developing carbon-carbon bond forming processes, which efficiently create multiple stereocenters in a single-pot operation. Deep understanding of reaction mechanisms gives insight into the origins of chemo- and stereoselectivity and governs optimization towards the most efficient and general protocols for our methodologies. Our vision is that we should provide an answer to challenging synthetic problems, but it must be coupled with unique efficiency and elegance.
Required background: Expertise and interest in synthetic organic chemistry.
https://ilanmarek.technion.ac.il/
Prof. Ashraf Brik
Research field: The Brik research group is developing novel synthetic approaches to chemically synthesize homogenous post translationally modified proteins, such as ubiquitinated and phosphorylated proteins, for structural, biochemical, biophysical and functional analyses.
During the summer camp, the students will be involved in the area of chemical peptide and protein synthesis, protein biochemistry and cell delivery of synthetic proteins to interrogate biological questions.
https://ashrafbrik.technion.ac.il/
Assist. Prof. Ofer Neufeld
Research field: Our group works in the multidisciplinary field of ultrafast laser-matter interactions. Our overarching goal is understanding the fundamental physical and chemical mechanisms that are active in molecules and materials driven far-from-equilibrium into highly excited states by intense laser pulses. We strive to describe attosecond (10-18 seconds) to femtosecond (10-15 seconds) coherent phenomena with ab-initio simulations (e.g. time-dependent density functional theory), in combination with simple models, in order to predict new physical effects and explain the origins of experimental measurements. Among our big open questions, we are interested in uncovering how e-e interactions evolve on their natural timescale and affect quantum dynamics, how energy transfers from electronic to vibrational degrees of freedom, and what’s the speed limit with which light can induce magnetic responses. We also aim to develop emerging ultrafast applications such as novel approaches for ultrafast high-resolution spectroscopy, quantum control schemes, and new light sources.
Research projects and specific topics in the group include theory of high harmonic generation in molecules and solids, photoionization and photocurrent generation in nonlinear conditions, intense light-matter interactions in quantum materials (e.g. 2D valley materials, topological systems, etc.), ultrafast (and even attosecond) magnetism, and more. The summer student will start out writing his own simple code for exploring highly nonlinear optics in an atomic system irradiated by short laser pulses. Following, more advanced simulations could be performed in any of the topics of interest to the group. Work in our group is especially suited to students with a strong multidisciplinary background who love theory, have a curious and creative mind, and an ambition to learn.
Required background: An interest in doing theory, ab-initio simulations, and advantage for background in materials/physics and/or scientific programming (because the project will involve writing code).
https://sites.google.com/view/neufeld-theory/
Assist. Prof. Renana Gershoni-Poranne
Research field: The Poranne Group is a research group working in the field of computational physical organic chemistry.
Our work focuses on the investigation of polycyclic aromatic systems and includes characterization of molecular properties, elucidation of structure-property relationships, and illumination of the connection between aromaticity and reactivity in organometallic catalysts. We uncover useful and intuitive connections between structural features and molecular properties and develop user-friendly pipelines and methods that help connect these abstract properties to real-world synthetic strategies. The chemical insights that we uncover are leveraged to implement machine-learning and deep-learning models for data-driven molecular design and discovery. In addition, we work closely with collaborators around the world to better understand the reactivity and behaviour of polycyclic aromatic systems, and to harness their unique properties for various applications.
Required background: The group believes in an inclusive and collaborative culture, where team-work and mutual respect are top priorities. We are always open to receiving new members who are excited about learning and who are motivated to work towards advancing our understanding of chemistry and molecular design
