Jay R. Winkler
Encyclopedia
Dr. Jay Richmond Winkler, Ph.D. (b. January 28, 1956) is an American physical chemist, currently Director of the Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center at the California Institute of Technology
. He has authored nearly two hundred articles on applications of inorganic spectroscopy, including the pioneering study of intramolecular electron transfer
reactions in biological systems.
. During this time he distinguished himself as a student of Professor Henry Taube
, authoring a paper on the electronic structure and reactivity of osmium ammine complexes. Winkler received his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology
under the mentorship of Professor Harry Gray
. There, he continued his study of inorganic electronic structure, publishing extensively on the properties of transition metal oxo complexes, ligand exchange reactions, and oxidation reduction chemistry. It was also during this time that he developed an experimental technique for measuring intramolecular electron transfer rates in proteins, work that would shape the course of Gray lab chemistry for the coming decades. Following completion of his doctoral work, Winkler joined the Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he continued his studies of inorganic photochemistry alongside Norman Sutin, Carol Creutz, and Bruce Brunschwig. In 1990 he was asked to join the Beckman Institute under the directorship of his former advisor, Harry Gray. He remains a Member of the Beckman Institute and the Director of the Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center.http://bilrc.caltech.edu
Center for Chemical Initiative, a program uniting investigators across multiple disciplines aimed at developing sustainable solar energy.http://www.ccisolar.caltech.edu/
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. He has authored nearly two hundred articles on applications of inorganic spectroscopy, including the pioneering study of intramolecular electron transfer
Electron transfer
Electron transfer is the process by which an electron moves from an atom or a chemical species to another atom or chemical species...
reactions in biological systems.
Career
Winkler received his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. During this time he distinguished himself as a student of Professor Henry Taube
Henry Taube
Henry Taube, Ph.D, M.Sc, B.Sc, FRSC was a Canadian-born American chemist noted for having been awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "his work in the mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions, especially in metal complexes." He was the first Canadian-born chemist to win the Nobel Prize...
, authoring a paper on the electronic structure and reactivity of osmium ammine complexes. Winkler received his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
under the mentorship of Professor Harry Gray
Harry Gray
Harry Gray or Grey may refer to:*Harry Gray , American business executive*Harry B. Gray , American chemist*Harry Gray , British sculptor of Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne-See also:...
. There, he continued his study of inorganic electronic structure, publishing extensively on the properties of transition metal oxo complexes, ligand exchange reactions, and oxidation reduction chemistry. It was also during this time that he developed an experimental technique for measuring intramolecular electron transfer rates in proteins, work that would shape the course of Gray lab chemistry for the coming decades. Following completion of his doctoral work, Winkler joined the Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he continued his studies of inorganic photochemistry alongside Norman Sutin, Carol Creutz, and Bruce Brunschwig. In 1990 he was asked to join the Beckman Institute under the directorship of his former advisor, Harry Gray. He remains a Member of the Beckman Institute and the Director of the Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center.http://bilrc.caltech.edu
Research
As Director of the Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center, Winkler manages facilities comprising instrumentation for picosecond and nanosecond scale photochemistry. He maintains a research program intimately connected with that of Harry Gray, wherein he continues to investigate electron transfer chemistry. Recently his efforts have focused on the application of picosecond-scale fluorescence resonance energy transfer to probe pathways of protein folding. Winkler also participates in the multi-institution NSFNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Center for Chemical Initiative, a program uniting investigators across multiple disciplines aimed at developing sustainable solar energy.http://www.ccisolar.caltech.edu/