Andrei Tokmakoff—2012 Recipient of the Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics

The 2012 recipient of the Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy and Dynamics, an award sponsored by the AIP journal, The Journal of Chemical Physics, and the APS Division of Chemical Physics was Professor Andrei Tokmakoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professor Tokmakoff was selected for pioneering work in the development and application of two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy.

Dr. Tokmakoff recently took the time to speak about both his research and the Plyler Prize for us at
The Journal of Chemical Physics.
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Recipient Profile: Professor Andrei Tokmakoff has been Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 2007. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1995 from Stanford University. Dr. Tokmakoff formerly served on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Journal of Chemical Physics.

Professor Tokmakoff’s research seeks to describe the dynamics of chemical reactions and biophysical processes by visualizing molecular motion with ultrafast two-dimensional vibrational spectroscopy. In particular, Prof. Tokmakoff and his group are interested in revealing the time-scale and mechanism by which the hydrogen bond network of water rearranges; how the dynamical nature of water's hydrogen bonds influence processes such as proton transfer and hydrophobicity; and the time-scale and mechanism of conformational change by peptides and proteins in folding, recognition, and binding.

Dr. Tokmakoff will present his research at the 2012 APS March meeting in Boston, MA. The lecture, entitled “2D IR Spectroscopy of Peptide Conformation” will be in Session T35 at 2:30PM on Wednesday, February 29. For more details and to read the abstract, head to the APS Meeting website.

Highlighted JCP papers by Dr. Tokmakoff:

Ultrafast 2D IR anisotropy of water reveals reorientation during hydrogen-bond switching
Krupa Ramasesha, Sean T. Roberts, Rebecca A. Nicodemus, Aritra Mandal, and Andrei Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 135, 054509 (2011).

Amide I two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy of β-hairpin peptides
Adam W. Smith and Andrei Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 126, 045109 (2007).

Multidimensional infrared spectroscopy of water. II. Hydrogen bond switching dynamics
Joseph J. Loparo, Sean T. Roberts, and Andrei Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 125, 194522 (2006).

Multidimensional infrared spectroscopy of water. I. Vibrational dynamics in two-dimensional IR line shapes
Joseph J. Loparo, Sean T. Roberts, and Andrei Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 125, 194521 (2006).

Characterization of spectral diffusion from two-dimensional line shapes
Sean T. Roberts, Joseph J. Loparo, and Andrei Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 125, 084502 (2006).

Local hydrogen bonding dynamics and collective reorganization in water: Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy of HOD/D₂O
Christopher J. Fecko, Joseph J. Loparo, Sean T. Roberts, and Andrei Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 122, 054506 (2005).

Vibrational coherence transfer characterized with Fourier-transform 2D IR spectroscopy
M. Khalil, N. Demirdoven, and A. Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 121, 362 (2004).

Signatures of β-sheet secondary structures in linear and two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy
Christopher M. Cheatum, Andrei Tokmakoff, and Jasper Knoester
J. Chem. Phys. 120, 8201 (2004).

Isotropic and anisotropic Raman scattering from molecular liquids measured by spatially masked optical Kerr effect spectroscopy
C. J. Fecko, J. D. Eaves, and A. Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 117, 1139 (2002).

Coupling and orientation between anharmonic vibrations characterized with two-dimensional infrared vibrational echo spectroscopy
O. Golonzka, M. Khalil, N. Demirdoven, and A. Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 115, 10814 (2001).

Polarization-selective third-order spectroscopy of coupled vibronic states
O. Golonzka and A. Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 115, 297 (2001).

Separation of cascaded and direct fifth-order Raman signals using phase-sensitive intrinsic heterodyne detection
O. Golonzka, N. Demirdoven, M. Khalil, and A. Tokmakoff
J. Chem. Phys. 113, 9893 (2000).

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