Sivaguru Jayaraman, assistant professor of chemistry and molecular biology, has been selected as the 2010 laureate of the Swiss Chemical Society’s Grammaticakis-Neumann Prize. The honor includes an invitation to speak at the Swiss Chemical Society fall meeting in September, a diploma and a financial award of approximately $4,850. Jayaraman will receive the Grammaticakis-Neumann Prize in Zurich, Switzerland, on Sept. 16.
The prize from the Swiss Chemical Society is awarded to a promising young research scientist for an outstanding contribution in photochemistry, photophysics or molecular photobiology. Research conducted by Jayaraman involves the use of light to initiate chemical reactions and control photoreactivity in the excited state using molecular design and nanoconfinement.
The cornerstone of Jayaraman's program involves synthetic effort that allows a freedom of design to produce new structural motifs not only for studying stereoselective reactions, but also for chemical and bio-molecular recognition of encapsulated guests within water-soluble nano-reaction vessels. Jayaraman's research investigates the molecular and supramolecular assembly characteristics of systems to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between molecular structure, assembly, dynamics and the role of external interactions critical for molecular recognition events in light-initiated reactions. Additionally, Jayaraman’s research group uses modern molecular tools and spectroscopic techniques to gain deeper understanding of molecular interactions in chemical and biological systems, using light as both a reagent that initiates the chemistry and as the product of excited state reactivity of organic molecules.
“This international award recognizes the exceptional contribution of Jayaraman’s work, highlighting the caliber of research conducted at NDSU that carries global impact,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer. “Faculty members such as Siva also provide valuable research and mentoring opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at NDSU.”
Jayaraman previously received a National Science Foundation CAREER award that supports the early career-development activities of scholars who are likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. The goal of Jayaraman’s research is to use environmentally benign ways to synthesize chiral molecules and to understand the interaction of light with matter leading to stereoselective photo-transformations.
Jayaraman joined the faculty at NDSU in August 2006. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University, New York, after earning his doctorate from Tulane University, New Orleans. Jayaraman earned his master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Tamil Nadu, India, and a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India.