Professor Teresa Head-Gordon, Chancellor’s Professor of Chemistry, Bioengineering, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, has been honored with a prestigious research award from the Humboldt Foundation, known for fostering collaboration with German scientists. Established in 1953, this award includes an invitation to engage in up to a year of working with peers at a German research institution.
The award, which is one of up to 100 the Foundation grants annually, recognizes internationally acclaimed scholars for their lifetime contributions. Honoring those whose groundbreaking discoveries and insights have left a profound mark on their fields, the awards also anticipate their continued trailblazing in the years ahead.
Professor Head-Gordon is one of the leading scientists in theoretical and computational chemistry. Her lab is at the forefront of this interdisciplinary field, focusing on developing advanced computer models and techniques that can be applied to various areas of chemistry. These include studying molecular liquids, proteins, and catalysts, among others.
Head-Gordon’s lab is particularly interested in creating sophisticated models and methods to better understand complex chemical processes. They work on techniques like accelerated sampling, coarse graining, and multiscale approaches to tackle challenging problems. Additionally, they develop solutions for equations like the Poisson-Boltzmann Equation, which is important in studying electrostatic interactions in biological systems.
Their research outputs, including software codes, are shared widely with the scientific community, allowing other researchers to benefit from their advancements in high-performance computing.