About

Graham R. Fleming is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and has served as Vice Chancellor for Research since 2009. His research focuses on chemical and biological dynamics in the condensed phase, utilizing ultrafast spectroscopy combined with theory and simulation to investigate many-body dynamics in liquids, solutions, glasses, and proteins, especially photosynthetic proteins. Fleming's group develops and applies advanced multidimensional ultrafast spectroscopic methods to study complex systems such as natural photosynthetic complexes, nanoscale materials like single-walled carbon nanotubes, and liquids. His work aims to define the design principles underlying the remarkable quantum efficiencies of photosynthetic systems and to use these principles to aid in the development of artificial photosynthetic devices. He has contributed to understanding the control mechanisms of photosystem II, including the repair processes regulated in response to external conditions, through collaborations involving molecular genetics, biochemistry, modeling, and ultrafast spectroscopy. Fleming's research has recently demonstrated the existence of long-lived electronic quantum coherence in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes and explores the implications of quantum coherence for photosynthesis and quantum information science. His group also investigates the electronic properties and excited state dynamics of nanoscale materials with quantum confinement effects, emphasizing single-walled carbon nanotubes. Throughout his career, Fleming has been a highly active researcher with over 444 publications, and he is recognized as one of the world's foremost authorities on ultrafast processes. His contributions have been acknowledged through numerous awards and honors, including membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and fellowships in the Royal Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Indian National Science Academy.

Research topics

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Atomic physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Molecular physics
• Materials science
• Biology
• Photochemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Biochemistry
• Condensed matter physics
• Biophysics
• Optoelectronics
• Optics
• Chemical physics

Selected publications

• Halide perovskites enable polaritonic XY spin Hamiltonian at room temperature

  Nature Materials · 2022 · 84 citations

  • Condensed matter physics
  • Materials science
  • Optoelectronics
  DOI

• Vibronic mixing enables ultrafast energy flow in light-harvesting complex II

  Nature Communications · 2020 · 85 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Chemical physics
  • Physics
  • Atomic physics

  Since the discovery of quantum beats in the two-dimensional electronic spectra of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes over a decade ago, the origin and mechanistic function of these beats in photosynthetic light-harvesting has been extensively debated. The current consensus is that these long-lived oscillatory features likely result from electronic-vibrational mixing, however, it remains uncertain if such mixing significantly influences energy transport. Here, we examine the interplay between the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom (DoF) during the excitation energy transfer (EET) dynamics of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) with two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy. Particularly, we show the involvement of the nuclear DoF during EET through the participation of higher-lying vibronic chlorophyll states and assign observed oscillatory features to specific EET pathways, demonstrating a significant step in mapping evolution from energy to physical space. These frequencies correspond to known vibrational modes of chlorophyll, suggesting that electronic-vibrational mixing facilitates rapid EET over moderately size energy gaps.

  DOI

• Complex Roles of PsbS and Xanthophylls in the Regulation of Nonphotochemical Quenching in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> under Fluctuating Light

  The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · 2020 · 49 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Biophysics
  • Chemistry
  • Photochemistry

  mutants, we find that removing zeaxanthin (Zea) or enhancing PsbS concentration, for example, influences the amplitudes of the slow quenching induction and recovery, but not the timescales. The plants' immediate response to high light appears independent of the illumination history, while PsbS and Zea have distinct roles in both quenching and recovery. We further identify two parameters in our model that predominately influence the recovery amplitude and propose that our approach may prove useful for screening new mutants or overexpressors with enhanced biomass yields under field conditions.

  DOI

Recent grants

• Nonlinear Optical Studies of Condensed Phase Dynamics

  NSF · $744k · 2007–2011

• Multidimensional Spectroscopic Studies of Condensed Phase Dynamics

  NSF · $780k · 2014–2018

• Multidimensional Spectroscopic Studies of Condensed Phase Dynamics

  NSF · $755k · 2010–2014

• Optical Studies of Condensed Phase Dynamics

  NSF · $1.1M · 2002–2008

Frequent coauthors

• Krishna Niyogi

  235 shared

• Eric A. Arsenault

  152 shared

• Ying‐Zhong Ma

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  124 shared

• Gabriela S. Schlau‐Cohen

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  115 shared

• Yusuke Yoneda

  The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI

  102 shared

• Elizabeth L. Read

  University of California, Irvine

  89 shared

• Masakazu Iwai

  University of California, Berkeley

  86 shared

• Akihito Ishizaki

  Institute for Molecular Science

  84 shared

Education

• PhD, Chemistry

  University of London

  1974

• Bachelor's of Science

  University of Bristol

  1971

Awards & honors

• Inter-American Photochemical Society Award (1996)
• Centenary Lecture and Medal, Royal Society of Chemistry (199…
• Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, American Chemical S…
• Harrision Howe Award in Chemistry, American Chemical Society…
• Earle K. Plyler Prize for Molecular Spectroscopy, American P…

Similar researchers at University of California, Berkeley

• Peidong Yangh-262
• Jennifer A. Doudnah-230
• Jeffrey R. Longh-189
• John F. Hartwigh-180
• Rasmus Nielsenh-180