Postdoc Position: Advanced photonics for ultrafast chiral spectroscopy

University of Basel, Switzerland

Updated: 12 days ago

The Ultrafast Chiral Dynamics Laboratory at University of Basel, led by Prof. Malte Oppermann, develops time-resolved laser spectroscopy techniques to capture both the structural and electronic evolution of chiral molecular systems during their (bio-)chemical activity in real-time. We are looking for a creative and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with a background in ultrafast spectroscopy to join our interdisciplinary team.

Laboratory website: https://oppermann.chemie.unibas.ch/en/

Project background
To capture molecular dynamics in real-time we need experimental techniques that offer both high structural and fast time resolution. However, achieving this in the native solution phase of most (bio-)chemical processes remains a formidable experimental challenge – especially on the fastest time scales of molecular motion. To address this, our team has developed a new spectroscopic approach. We use broadband circularly polarized laser pulses to capture changes in the structural symmetry of molecules, called chirality, to resolve the enconded conformational dynamics with femtosecond time resolution [1]. This has opened the path to resolve the structural dynamics of (bio-)molecular systems [2] and to study the chirality of electronic excited states for controlling photochemical processes [3]. To expand the scope of our research, we are now implementing a new ultrafast chiral spectroscopy platform at University of Basel, making use of the latest developments in laser and photonic technology.

[1] M. Oppermann, B. Bauer, T. Rossi, F. Zinna, J. Helbing, J. Lacour, and M. Chergui, Optica 6, 1, 56-60 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.6.000056
[2] M. Oppermann, J. Spekowius, B. Bauer, R. Pfister, M. Chergui, and J. Helbing, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 10, 11, 2700-2705 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b01253
[3] M. Oppermann, F. Zinna, J. Lacour, and M. Chergui, Nat. Chem. 14, 739-745 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-022-00933-0


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