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You are here: FRIAS Fellows Fellows 2021/22 Prof. Dr. Spiros S. Skourtis

Prof. Dr. Spiros S. Skourtis

University of Cyprus
Biophysics and Chemical Physics
External Senior Fellow
September 2014 - August 2015

CV

Education and training:

Ph.D. Theoretical Biophysics, University of California Berkeley, USA (1991), B.G.S. Physics & Mathematics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA (1986)

Research and professional experience:

Associate Professor, Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, CYPRUS, Oct. 06 – present; Visiting Professor, Institute of Advanced Studies (Molecular Electronics Research Group), Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel, June - Aug. 12; Visiting Professor, Department of Chemistry, Duke University, NC USA July 04 - Dec. 04 & Aug. 10 - Aug. 11; Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, CYPRUS, Feb. 00 - Oct. 06; Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Cyprus, CYPRUS, Jan. 97- Feb. 00; Research Assistant Professor (Jan. 96-97), Research Associate (Jan. 95-96), Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA, Jan. 94 - Jan. 95; Postgraduate Research Physicist, Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, CA, USA, Sept. 91 - Dec. 93

Biophysics and Chemical Physics and Molecular Electronics:

Theory and computation of charge and energy transport phenomena in biological and molecular systems (solution, molecular junction, single molecule settings); Open quantum systems theory for molecular rate processes; Chemical and biological tunneling phenomena; Structure-function and dynamics-function relationships for biomolecules

Other:

Associate Editor: BMC Biophysics; Chairperson, Dept. of Physics, University of Cyprus, Feb. 08 - Feb. 10; Member of the Academic Council of the School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Cyprus, Feb. 08 - Feb. 10, Feb 12 – Feb 13.

 

Selected Publications

  • Spiros S. Skourtis: Protein electron transfer, in: Quantum Effects in Biology Cambridge University Press, M. Mohseni, Y. Omar, G. Engel, and M.B. Plenio, editors, July 2014, isbn: 9781107010802.
  • Spiros S. Skourtis: Probing electron transfer mechanism from the molecular to the cellular length scales Special issue on "Peptide-mediated electron and energy transport", Biopolymers (Peptide Science) 100, 82-92 (2012).
  • Spiros S. Skourtis, David H. Waldeck, and David N. Beratan: Fluctuations in biological and bioinspired electron-transfer reactions, Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. Vol. 61 461-485 (2010).

 

FRIAS Research Project

The control of electron and energy transfer pathways from the molecular to the cellular length scales: Exploring the roles of molecular structure and fluctuations, of the environment and of the initial state preparation

Electron and energy transport processes are at the heart of molecular science at the fundamental and at the applied levels. My research is devoted to the study of such processes in a variety of physical-chemical environments (solution phase, molecular junction, hybrid device, cellular), and over a wide range of length scales (from single molecules to molecular and cellular assemblies). At a fundamental level I want to understand electron and energy transport control as a function of molecular structure, dynamics, and environment. My research is highly interdisciplinary, in the broad interface between chemical physics and molecular biophysics/nanoscience. My proposed research program for the FRIAS focus is highly exploratory and interdisciplinary, motivated by the broad local expertise and by my current project directions. The proposed collaborations involve: i) exploring spin effects in electron transfer and energy transfer pathways of artificial and biomimetic systems. ii) exploring the effects of system size and structural fluctuations on the efficiency of molecular/biomolecular and cellular electron transfer and energy transport, 3) exploring the effects of initial state preparation on the efficiency of electron transport and energy transport.