Assistant Professor Thomas Fay

Talented theoretical chemist Professor Thomas Fay, who joined the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in July 2022, brings a distinctive perspective and strong foundation in theoretical and computational chemistry to UCLA. 

The Fay group’s research focuses on developing theoretical and computational tools to understand the quantum dynamics of light-induced processes in molecules and materials. The group explores a range of quantum phenomena related to electron and energy transfer in chemical systems, including biological photosynthesis and photocatalysis. Their work also investigates the enigmatic relationship between molecular chirality and electron spin, and how this interplay can be harnessed for applications ranging from quantum information science to enantioselective catalysis. Understanding of these phenomena, particularly in complex chemical systems where thousands of atoms and electrons are interacting simultaneously, is being tackled with a combination of pen and paper theory and the development of new computational methods and software to construct in silico models of experiments.

“Ι’ve always been fascinated by quantum mechanics and how it manifests in the real-world,” says Fay. “Light-driven chemistry and electron transfer are inescapably quantum but essential to life on Earth. It’s a real challenge to understand these quantum phenomena in messy chemical systems, and I’m looking forward to taking on this challenge. I’m really excited to start my independent research career here at UCLA, surrounded by such brilliant students and inspiring colleagues.”

Fay is also excited to contribute to teaching at UCLA at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. With research interests that span quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, chemical kinetics, and spectroscopy, and with several years of teaching experience as a lecturer at various colleges of the University of Oxford, he is looking forward to the challenge of training the next generation of chemistry students in these exciting areas.

Learn more about Fay’s research and career: https://faygroupucla.github.io/