Renee Frontiera

Renee Frontiera
Professor, Director of Graduate Studies for Chemical Physics, Department of ChemistryEducation
B.S. Carleton College, 2004
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2009, (Richard Mathies)
Post Doctorate Northwestern University, 2010-2013 (Richard P. Van Duyne)
Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry: microscopy, spectroscopy
Nanoscience & Materials Chemistry: molecular plasmonics, nanomaterials
Chemical Biology: biophysical spectroscopy
Experimental Physical Chemistry: ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy
Chemical Physics, Spectroscopy: super-resolution microscopy
Energy & Catalysis
Research in our group investigates fundamental and applied issues in membrane protein biophysics, alternative energy sources, and nanotechnology. We seek to determine the effect of local environments on chemical reaction dynamics, from cellular membranes to photovoltaic devices to plasmonic nanomaterials. We develop and apply new spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to examine how molecules react, following their dynamics on the nanometer length scale with femtosecond time resolution. Currently, we are working on developing a label-free, super-resolution imaging technique, determining the role of vibrations in driving electron transfer reactions, and using plasmons to monitor and catalyze chemical reactions. Our research is highly interdisciplinary, investigating current problems at the interface of chemistry, biology, and materials science.

Honors and Awards
2019 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
2018 JPC-PHYS Lectureship Award (Journal of Physical Chemistry and the Physical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society)
Chemical & Engineering News 'Talented 12,' 2017
Department of Energy Early Career Research Program award, 2017
3M Non-Tenured Faculty Grant
University of Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, 2017-2019
National Institutes of Health Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (NIH MIRA), 2016
National Science Foundation CAREER, 2016
Mailing Address
Renee Frontiera
University of Minnesota
Department of Chemistry
B-18, 139 Smith Hall, 207 Pleasant St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0431