The Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Dipti Jasrasaria as Assistant Professor. Dr. Jasrasaria is a highly accomplished theoretical and computational chemist whose research focuses on understanding and predicting the behavior of materials at the atomic and electronic level.
Dr. Jasrasaria brings a wealth of experience and a passion for both research and mentorship to the department. She joins UChicago from Columbia University, where she was a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Timothy Berkelbach’s group, developing methods to study materials with strongly anharmonic vibrational structures.
A Distinguished Academic Background
Dr. Jasrasaria's interest in science began early, sparked by visits to her local Discovery Museum in Massachusetts. She pursued her passion for chemistry at Harvard University, earning an A.B. in Chemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she worked with Prof. Alán Aspuru-Guzik, using machine learning to identify molecules for organic photovoltaics. She continued her education as a Herchel Smith Fellow at the University of Cambridge, receiving an M.Phil. in Scientific Computing and conducting research with Prof. David Wales on crystal structure prediction methods. Dr. Jasrasaria earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley under the guidance of Prof. Eran Rabani, where her research on exciton dynamics in nanomaterials was supported by a prestigious DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship.
A Vision for the Future of Materials Science
"I am thrilled to be joining the UChicago Chemistry Department," said Dr. Jasrasaria. "I am particularly excited to join the theory, physical chemistry, and materials communities, which stand out in their strength and breadth. Theoretical chemistry at UChicago has a long and storied tradition, and I look forward to being part of it. UChicago’s commitment to curiosity-driven and cooperative research will provide the ideal environment for my group to thrive, and I cannot wait to continually learn from and contribute to this community through informal interactions as well as more formal collaborations."
Dr. Jasrasaria's research at UChicago will focus on developing and applying theoretical and computational tools to model optoelectronic, dynamical, and transport phenomena in various materials systems. Her group's goal is to not only understand materials properties but also to develop design principles that can optimize materials performance for applications ranging from quantum information to energy conversion. She anticipates fruitful collaborations with researchers in the Department of Chemistry, the James Franck Institute, and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Scientists
Dr. Jasrasaria is deeply committed to fostering the next generation of scientific leaders. She emphasizes persistence and openness as key qualities for success in research. "Doing research is hard, but it can also be a lot of fun, especially when we do it together in a group!" she explained. "I hope to create an environment where everyone feels supported asking questions, sharing new ideas, and bringing in their own perspectives and backgrounds. I think it’s important that my students develop the skills and confidence to take ownership of their work, from the small details to the big-picture vision."
Selected Publications
Simulating anharmonic vibrational polaritons beyond the long wavelength approximation
Circumventing the phonon bottleneck by multiphonon-mediated hot exciton cooling at the nanoscale
Dynamic lattice distortions driven by surface trapping in semiconductor nanocrystals