Martin Gruebele

Martin Gruebele
Born	(1964-01-10) January 10, 1964 Stuttgart, Germany
Citizenship	American
Fields	Chemistry, Biophysics, Computational biology
Institutions	University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology
Known for	Protein folding, scanning tunneling microscopy, Ultrafast laser spectroscopy
Notable awards	Sackler Prize, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Prize, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Fellowship
Website http://www.scs.illinois.edu/mgweb/

Martin Gruebele (born January 10, 1964 in Stuttgart, Germany)^[1] is a German-born American physical chemist and biophysicist who is currently James R. Eiszner Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics, Professor of Biophysics and Computational Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he is the principal investigator of the Gruebele Group.The James R. Eiszner Endowed Chair was previously held by Peter Guy Wolynes.^[2]

Education

He completed his B.S in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984, advised by Ken Sauer (biophysics), Wilhelm Maier (organic synthesis), Richard J. Saykally (laser spectroscopy). He did his graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley in the laboratory of Richard J. Saykally and subsequently held a postdoctoral position with Ahmed Zewail at California Institute of Technology after which he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois in 1992. Dr. Gruebele is also a faculty member of the Beckman Institute at UIUC and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Michigan State University.

Research

His research is largely concerned with chemical and biological physics ranging from the kinetics of biological systems and quantum dynamics of energy flow within molecules to optically assisted scanning tunneling microscopy. A common theme of his research is the implementation of state-of-the-art laser techniques to interrogate and manipulate complex molecular systems, coupled with quantum or classical simulations leading to better understanding of Protein folding, Molecular vibration, and the switching of energy flow in large molecular structures on surfaces.^[3]

He has published more than 200 articles in areas ranging from quantum computation to spectroscopy of high-energy molecules to folding of RNA in protein molecules in the test tube and inside cells.

Recent work

• Tissue-imaging technique called non-linear interferometric vibrational imaging which produces easy-to-read, color-coded images of tissue, outlining clear tumor boundaries, with more than 99% confidence - in less than five minutes thus leading to much faster biopsy results.^[4][5]
• Fast relaxation imaging that combines fluorescence microscopy and fast temperature jumps to study protein dynamics inside the living cells.^[6]
• Nanosecond pressure jump technique that led to 100 times faster Protein folding and could help guide more accurate computer simulations for how complex proteins fold.^[7][8]
• Terahertz Absorption Spectroscopy elucidating for the first time the role of water as a designer fluid that helps proteins change shape.^[9][10]
• Two-state dynamics recorded in glassy Silicon for the first time using high-resolution imaging technology, that confirmed the glass like nature of amorphous silicon until Hydrogen is added.^[11][12]

Awards

Gruebele has received numerous national and international awards, including the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize^[13] in the Physical Sciences and Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel^[14] Prize from von Humboldt Society.

He has been awarded A. P. Sloan Fellowship, Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Fellowship, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society & Biophysical Society, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

Gruebele is also a very active collaborator on guest lectures at Hanoi University of Science when University of Illinois secured an agreement under Steven Zimmerman to port their Department of Chemistry undergraduate curriculum for Science upliftment in Vietnam.^[15]

• Member, National Academy of Sciences (USA, 2013) ^[16]
• Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (USA, 2010)^[17]
• Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize (Tel Aviv University, 2008)
• Member, German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2008)
• James R Eiszner Chair (University of Illinois, 2008)
• Teaching Excellence Award (School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois, 2006)
• William H and Janet Lycan Professorship (University of Illinois, 2006)
• Fellow of the Biophysical Society^[18] (Biophysical Society, 2005)
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Prize (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2005)
• Associate of the Center for Advanced Studies (University of Illinois, 2003)
• Fellow of the American Physical Society(2002)
• National Science Foundation Creativity Extension Award (2002)
• Alumni Scholar Professorship (University of Illinois, 2002)
• Coblentz Award^[19] (Coblentz Society, 2000)
• University Scholar (University of Illinois, 1998)
• Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 1998)
• Alfred P Sloan Fellow (Sloan Foundation, 1997)
• Teaching Excellence Award (School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois, 1995)
• Cottrell Scholar Award (Research Corporation, 1995)
• Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies (University of Illinois, 1995)
• David and Lucile Packard Fellow (Packard Foundation, 1994)
• National Young Investigator Award (NSF, 1994)
• List of Teachers Ranked Excellent by their Students (University of Illinois, 1993)
• O Beckman Award (University of Illinois Research Board, 1992)
• Dreyfus New Faculty Award (Dreyfus Foundation, 1992)
• Dow Chemical Graduate Fellow, (Dow Chemical, 1987-1988)
• IBM Predoctoral Fellow, (IBM, 1986-1987)
• University Fellow (University of California, Berkeley, 1984-1986)
• Outstanding Teacher Award (University of California, Berkeley Department of Chemistry, 1985)
• University Certificate of Distinction (University of California, Berkeley, 1984)
• Department Citation for Highest Honors (University of California, Berkeley, 1984)

Personal

Gruebele is married to Nancy Makri,^[20][21] who is also a Professor of Chemistry at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

He has a keen interest in cycling and has competed in many long distance events.^[22][23][24]

He has a blog on his 2013 Race Across America.^[25]

See also

• Kurt Wüthrich
• Vijay Pande
• David Baker
• Valerie Daggett
• W. E. Moerner
• Paul Lauterbur
• List of biophysicists

Notes

External links

• Dr. Gruebele’s Group
• His faculty profile
• Beckman Institute Directory