Jason Goodpaster joins department as assistant professor

Jason Goodpaster, Ph.D., is joining the Department of Chemistry as an assistant professor, starting in the summer of 2016. Since September 2014, he has been a post-doctoral researcher at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working with Professors Martin Head-Gordon and Alexis Bell. Goodpaster earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology under the tutelage of Professor Thomas F. Miller III. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Goodpaster’s current research focus is on the fundamental quantum chemical modeling of CO₂ reduction. This project aims to contribute mechanistic insight from electronic structure computations on experimentally relevant systems, as well as attempting to give insights that can impact the design principles for future catalysts. In support of this main objective, the project includes the development of new computational methods used for the modeling of electrochemical reactions.

As a graduate student, Goodpaster’s research project centered on the development and application of quantum embedding theories. This approach allows for accurate calculations to be performed on large complex systems while remaining computationally efficient.

At the University of Minnesota, Goodpaster is interested in the development, implementation, and application of new electronic structure techniques. His research will focus on the development of multi-scale methods, which allow for the study of large and extended systems. He is specifically interested in applying these new methods to metalloenzymes, heterogeneous catalysts, and metal-organic frameworks.