The Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division is supporting research at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign under the supervision of Professor Peter G. Wolynes on nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. The work involves studies of (1) the quantum dynamics of complex systems, and (2) chemical kinetics in biomolecular and solvent environments. The unifying theme of the work is the exploitation of ideas from random system physics to study problems in chemical physics. %%% The application of statistical methods to study the physical behavior of systems containing many particles at equilibrium is well developed, but similar application to nonequilibrium systems such as those undergoing chemical reaction is a major current frontier of physical chemistry. Professor Wolynes is developing statistical techniques to obtain useful information about such reacting systems, particularly those undergoing biological transformations or those interacting with solvents in solution reactions.
