Regular biography
Michael J. Therien is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Duke University, affiliated with the Chemistry department in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of compounds, supermolecular assemblies, and nano-scale materials with unique optical and electronic properties. His work spans physical inorganic chemistry, synthetic chemistry, and spectroscopy, with an emphasis on excited-state dynamics, spintronics, and energy conversion. Therien's laboratory investigates molecular structures for optical applications, energy transduction, and nanoscale imaging, while also exploring de novo proteins for light-driven biological processes. He is a member of the Duke Cancer Institute and has received funding from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Scholar-generated biography
Michael J. Therien is a William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Duke University, specializing in supermolecular structures, bioinspired assemblies, nanoscale materials, and electro-optic and excited-state dynamical properties. His research focuses on developing advanced materials with applications in optoelectronics, energy conversion, and biomedical imaging. Therien's work includes the design and synthesis of porphyrin-based chromophores, polymersomes for drug delivery, and nanoscale systems for molecular electronics. His studies explore the electronic and optical properties of conjugated molecules, hydrogen-bond-mediated electron transfer, and the role of molecular topology in modulating light-harvesting efficiency. His research bridges experimental and theoretical approaches to understand and engineer materials with tailored optical and electronic behaviors.