Light-Matter States: Influencing Catalytic Activity
Professor Cather Simpson
- University of Auckland
Wednesday 23 November, 9.15am
Abstract
Light is one of nature’s mechanisms for carrying energy and information from one place to another.
Understanding how that light is absorbed and transformed into more useful forms of energy would give insight into how we might be able to harness and control light more effectively.
Here I will present some previous work in this area in light-influenced chemical reactivity through the formation of light-matter hybrid states and the impact of this resonant photonic coupling upon reaction kinetics and selectivity.
About the speaker
Professor Cather Simpson is a physicist and chemist at the University of Auckland.
There, she founded and directed the Photon Factory. In addition to studying fundamental light-matter interaction, her group created several startups, including the award-winning Engender Technologies, Orbis Diagnostics and most recently Skin Photonics.
After a three-year stint as Chief Science Officer at Engender, she returned to the university in 2022.
She is a Fellow and member of the Academy Executive for New Zealand’s Royal Society Te Apārangi and sits on the Board of SPIE and several companies, including Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Advemto.
Professor Simpson will also be speaking at 3pm on Tuesday as part of our Science to Industry and Commercialisation Afternoon.
