Shaul Mukamel wins Humboldt Award

Mukamel, a member of the Rochester faculty since 1982, was nominated for the honor by Professor Eward Schlag of the Technical University of Munich. The award will enable Mukamel to conduct a year of research in Munich with Schlag and other European colleagues.

Mukamel has developed novel ways to observe and interpret molecular dynamics. His research focuses on how to use the briefest of laser pulses to shed light on activities such as the making and breaking of chemical bonds.

Mukamel's work also delves into biochemistry, examining how biological systems harvest light during photosynthesis and then convert that light into the chemical energy that makes life possible.

Mukamel, who earned his Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University in 1976, held posts at MIT, Berkeley, Rice University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel before joining the Rochester faculty.

Mukamel's book, Principles of Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy, is widely used as that field's standard text; Mukamel also serves on the editorial board of the journal Chemical Physics Letters.

The Humboldt Research Award is sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Bonn, which works to foster international cooperation with top German scientists.