Dr. Bin Zhao, the principal investigator (PI) of the theoretical and computational molecular dynamics group, is an Associate Professor at the Chemistry department of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen, China.

He received his bachelor’s degree in 2008 from Dalian University of Technology, China, majoring in Optical Information Science and Technology and minoring in Computer Science and Technology. He received his Ph.D. degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (2013, with Prof. Soo-Y. Lee, the pioneer of the time-dependent theory of Raman spectroscopy), studying quantum-mechanically a novel ultrafast femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS).

His postdoctoral research was conducted in Prof. Hua Guo's group at the University of New Mexico, USA (2014-2016) and in Prof. Uwe Manthe’s group at the University of Bielefeld (2017-2021, with an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship). During this period, he was mainly engaged in the theoretical study of quantum reaction dynamics of four-atom and six-atom reactions at the state-to-state level, analyzing in-depth the modulation of chemical reactions by specific reactant quantum states and establishing the connection between reactant and product quantum states. The insights of these studies have been reported in peer-reviewed journals, for example, Nature Chemistry, Science Advances, Science China Chemistry, Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Molecular Science, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. (35 publications in total, counted until February 2022).

After joining SUSTech in February 2022, he establishes the theoretical and computational molecular dynamics group, studying in detail the dynamic processes in chemical reactions and the novel quantum effects therein. In other words, the research group provides visualization of the quantum world by producing counter-intuitive movies of microscopic chemical reactions at the atomic and molecular scale.

The group is currently in the process of being established and is looking for self-motivated postdocs, Ph.D. students, master students, research assistants, and undergraduate interns. If you are interested in our research, you are welcome to visit us and share your insights with us. If you are passionate about scientific research, you are very welcome to join us. Let’s explore and conquer cutting-edge scientific problems, and then experience and share the endless fun of scientific exploration as we make research breakthroughs. We are looking forward to seeing how far your curiosity will eventually lead you and what you will achieve in our group.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

1. Quantum molecular dynamics;

2. Quantum manipulation of atoms and molecules;

3. Ultrafast spectroscopy.

EDUCATION

Sep., 2004 - Jun., 2008    Dalian University of Technology, P.R. China

Bachelor Major: Optical Information Science and Technology

Mar., 2006 - Jun., 2008    Dalian University of Technology, P.R. China

Bachelor Minor: Computer Science and Technology

Aug., 2008 - Jan., 2013        Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Ph.D.: Quantum Mechanical Investigation of Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy (FSRS)

WORK

Feb., 2013 - Jul., 2013 Research assistant: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Aug., 2013 - Sep., 2014 Visiting Scholar: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, P.R. China

Oct., 2013 - Dec. 2013 Visiting Scholar: Universität Bielefeld, Germany

Mar., 2014 - Dec., 2016 Postdoc: The University of New Mexico, USA

Jan., 2017 - Sep., 2021 Postdoc: Universität Bielefeld, Germany  

Feb., 2022 - Nov. 2022 Assistant Professor: SUSTech

Dec., 2022 till now       Associate Professor: SUSTech 

HONORS

National Oversea Young Talents Program

Specially-appointed position under the "Pengcheng Peacock” plan

Alexander von Humboldt fellowship

67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Roman Ellerbrock, Bin Zhao, Uwe Manthe, “Vibrational control of the reaction pathway in the H+CHD3→H2+CD3 reaction”, accepted for publishing in Sci. Adv. (2022).

2. Bin Zhao*, Shanyu Han, Christopher Malbon, Uwe Manthe*, David Yarkony*, Hua Guo*, “Full-dimensional quantum stereodynamics of the non-adiabatic quenching of OH(A2Σ+) by H2”, Nat. Chem. 13, 909 (2021).

3. Bin Zhao*, “The symmetric C-D stretching spectator mode in the H+CHD3→H2+CD3 reaction and its effect on dynamical modeling”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 23, 12105 (2021) - (2021 PCCP Hot Article)

4. Tiangang Yang*, Bin Zhao*, Gary K. Chen, Hua Guo, Wesley C. Campbell and Eric R. Hudson, “Determining reaction pathways at low temperatures by isotopic substitution: the case of BeD++H2O”, New J. Phys. 23, 115004 (2021).

5. Bin Zhao*, Uwe Manthe, “Eight-Dimensional Wave Packet Dynamics within the Quantum Transition-State Framework: State-to-State Reactive Scattering for H2+CH3⇆H+CH4”, J. Phys. Chem. A 124, 9400 (2020).

6. Changjian Xie#,  Bin Zhao#,  Christopher Malbon,  David Yarkony, Daiqian Xie, Hua Guo, “Insights into the mechanism of nonadiabatic photodissociation from product vibrational distributions: the remarkable case of Phenol”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 11, 191 (2020).

7. Bin Zhao*, Uwe Manthe and Hua Guo, “Fermi Resonance Controlled Product Branching in the H+HOD reaction”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 17029 (2018) - (2018 PCCP Hot Article).

8. Bin Zhao*, Hua Guo*, “State-to-state quantum reactive scattering in four-atom systems”,  Wiley Interdiscip. Rev. Comput. Mol. Sci. 7, e1301 (2017)

9. Bin Zhao, Zhigang Sun, Hua Guo, “State-to-state mode specificity: energy sequestration and flow gated by transition state”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137, 15964 (2015).

10. Bin Zhao, Kai Niu, Xiuting Li, Soo-Y. Lee, “Simple Aspects of Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy”, Sci. China Chem. 54, 1989 (2011)