For the attention of: [Researchers interested in Chemical Structure and Dynamics in the U.K.]
Dear all,
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's "Big Ideas" initiative is a consultation exercise which seeks suggestions for important future research directions from the physical sciences community within the UK in order to inform the EPSRC's research agenda and objectives;
<https://epsrc.ukri.org/research/ourportfolio/epsrcbigideas/>
The Faraday Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry believes it is very important that the UK physical chemistry community engages with this process, and is therefore organising a series of workshops to develop Big Ideas from the community. The central aim of each workshop will be to brainstorm, coordinate, and integrate the work of interested individuals into a shared "Big Idea" that encapsulates the research vision and ambitions of a community.
About the workshop
The workshop will focus on "Chemical Structure Determination and Dynamics at High Time and Spatial Resolution" (more details below) and be hosted at the University of Warwick on the 22nd November. Please express your interest either in this workshop, or in the construction of an EPSRC Big Idea around this theme, via this form.
<https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/I5OWP/>
The deadline for completion of the form is 22nd October. Workshop participants will be selected to reflect a range of career stages and research interests, as well as broader dimensions of diversity. Participants will receive details about travel and final arrangements for the workshop in the week commencing 28th October. Lunch will be provided to registered participants.
If you are unable to attend the workshop on the 22nd November but remain keen to contribute your thoughts and proposals to a collective EPSRC Big Idea on Chemical Structure Determination and Dynamics at High Time and Spatial Resolution, we would still like to hear from you. You should complete the "Expression of Interest" form linked above and we will be in touch.
Yours Sincerely,
Vas Stavros
University of Warwick
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About the topic
Following chemical structure and dynamics on chemistry’s own timescale is rapidly advancing from elucidating fundamental knowledge of chemical processes to offering ultimate control of chemical reactions. The advent of benchtop femtosecond and attosecond laser technology, as well as access to large facilities such as free electron lasers, is driving the development of a new generation of techniques for probing molecular structure and dynamics on molecular time and length scales. In parallel with experiments, electronic structure calculations and quantum dynamics simulations can now be performed on relatively large chemical systems, allowing chemists to obtain deeper insights than ever before into real-time chemical processes. Many of these new techniques combine high time resolution with imaging on the molecular scale: we are now on the cusp of being able to record real-time ‘molecular movies’ of chemical reactions, following each atom in its journey across the reaction potential energy surface or surfaces. Within the next decade, such experiments will provide insight into a variety of complex chemical processes, and the insights gained from these studies will feed into the development of more efficient synthetic pathways and the design of new molecules and materials with clearly defined chemical and physical properties.
While gas-phase chemical dynamics has always been a great strength within the UK’s physical chemistry community, techniques that were originally developed for gas-phase studies are now routinely being applied in condensed phases. This has only become possible relatively recently, with the achievement of the ultra-fast time resolution required to isolate individual chemical events against a background of collisions. The required technology is now widely available, and there is now a critical mass of researchers working in this area. Techniques have developed to the point where systems can be studied that are of ‘real world’ interest to a wide audience of chemists, and the time is ripe for interdisciplinary collaborations focused on exploring such applications.
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Prof. Vas Stavros
Department of Chemistry
University of Warwick
Gibbet Hill Road
Coventry CV4 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)24 761 50172
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