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Jessica Anna

University of Pittsburgh
Chemistry
Profile

Academic Appointments

  • July 2023-current Full Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh
  • July 2022-June 2023 Associate Professor with tenure, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
  • July 2014-June 2022 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
  • Sep. 2011-June 2014 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Toronto, Advisor: Greg Scholes
  • May 2011-Sep. 2011 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan, Advisor: Kevin Kubarych

Education

  • 2011 Ph.D. University of Michigan, Physical Chemistry, Advisor: Kevin Kubarych
  • 2006 B.S. University of Pittsburgh, Chemistry, Advisor: David Pratt

Awards and Fellowships

  • 2021 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
  • 2019 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow 2016 Department of Energy - Early Career Award
  • 2014 Elliman Faculty Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
  • 2011 Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowship
  • 2010 University of Michigan Chemistry Department Winter Term Fellowship
  • 2008 Dow Chemical Company Travel Award
Research

My research program focuses on investigating photoinduced processes and ultrafast dynamics of systems that are relevant to solar energy conversion, including natural photosynthetic complexes, artificial multichromophoric assemblies, and photocatalysts. To investigate these systems my group uses ultrafast pump probe and multidimensional spectroscopic techniques in the visible and mid-infrared spectral regions. Through these studies, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes that govern solar energy conversion, which could lead to further insight and chemical intuition into how to tune and optimize energy transfer pathways and electron transfer events in artificial photosynthetic systems, organic photovoltaic materials, and photocatalysts. This research spans interests across the fields of natural and artificial photosynthesis, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis.

Most Cited Publications

1. T. Mirkovic, E.E. Ostroumov, J.M. Anna, R. van Grondelle, Govindjee, and G.D. Scholes*, Light Absorption and Energy Transfer in the Antennae of Photosynthetic Organisms, Chem. Rev., 2017, 117, 2, 249–293 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00002

2. H. Yin, P. Carroll, J.M. Anna*, E.J. Schelter*, Luminescent Ce(III) Complexes as Stoichiometric and Catalytic Photoreductants for Halogen Atom Abstraction Reactions, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 29, 9234-9237, https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b05411

3. J. M. Anna, G. D. Scholes, and R. van Grondelle, A Little Coherence in Photosynthetic Light Harvesting, BioScience (2014), 64, 14-25

4. Y. Lee, S. Das, R.M. Malamakal, S. Meloni, D.M. Chenoweth, J.M. Anna, Ultrafast Solvation Dynamics and Vibrational Coherences of Halogenated Boron-Dipyrromethene Derivatives Revealed through Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2017, 139, 41, 14733-14742 https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.7b08558

5. Y. Lee, M. Gorka, J. H. Golbeck, J.M. Anna*, Ultrafast Energy Transfer Involving the Red Chlorophylls of Cyanobacterial Photosystem I Probed Through Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2018, 140, 37, 11631-11638 https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.8b04593

Recent Publications

1. P. G. Askelson, S. L. Meloni, A. M. Hoffnagle, J.M. Anna, “Resolving the Impact of Hydrogen Bonding on the Phylloquinone Cofactor through Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2022, 126, 28, 10120-10135 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03556

2. W. Weng#, A. B. Weberg, R. Gera#, N. C. Tomson, J. M. Anna*, “Probing Ligand Effects on the Ultrafast Dynamics of Copper Complexes via Mid-Infrared Pump Probe and 2DIR Spectroscopies”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2021, 125, 44, 12228-12241 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c06370

3. J. Lu, Y. Lee, J.M. Anna*, Extracting the Frequency-Dependent Dynamic Stokes Shift from Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectra with Prominent Vibrational Coherences, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2020, 124, 40, 8857-8867 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c05522

4. Y. Lee, R.M. Malamakal, D.M. Chenoweth, J.M. Anna, Halogen Bonding Facilitates Intersystem Crossing in Iodo-BODIPY Chromophores, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2020, 11, 3, 877-884 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b03753

5. R. Gera#, S.L. Meloni#, J.M. Anna*, Unraveling Confined Dynamics of Guests Trapped in Self-Assembled Pd6L4 Nanocages by Ultrafast Mid-IR Polarization-Dependent Spectroscopy, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2019, 10, 3, 413–418, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b03485