Photochemistry undergraduate research experience

PURE is a research initiative to provide an immersive year long research experience in photochemistry starting each summer and continuing through the following Fall and Spring semesters. In this combined theory-experiment experience, undergraduates learn scientific computing along with the spectroscopic techniques required to fully explore new photochemical materials. This unique opportunity is focused on real-world problems and students will work in cross-disciplinary teams while contributing to basic discoveries in physical chemistry.

Since 2021, 16 Lehigh Undergraduates have participated in the PURE program and 3 have graduated with Research Honors in Chemistry so far!

28% of PURE students have continued to Graduate PhD programs
17% have gone to Medical or Dental School
23% have found a job in Scientific Industry

PURE 2025-2026

Come and learn more about PURE on Friday, Feb 7th from 1:30-3:00 PM in STEPS 3rd floor atrium (snacks available). Meet Profs Young and Fredin and learn more about the program!

There are a few different focuses this year! Make sure you make it clear which is an interest for you in your application.
1) Photocatalysis. In particular modeling reactions on nanoparticle surfaces.
2) Photophysics in Solar Cells. With a focus on measuring time-resolved spectroscopy of solar cell materials.
3) Molecular Photochemistry. With a focus on measuring and modeling time-resolved spectroscopy

For any questions email pure-list@lehigh.edu

Applications for PURE 2025-2026 are open now! Click here to apply!

In order to build a clean energy economy, new photochemically-driven reactions are important for efficient solar energy capture and conversion. For the past 50 years, physical chemists, especially spectroscopists and theorists, have built our so-called “chemical intuition” or understanding of how electron and proton transfer reactions occur primarily in the lowest energy states of molecules. However, when driving reactions with light, molecules necessarily become excited. The complex nature of excited states makes them more difficult to predict and understand, and thus we must develop a new chemical intuition for their reactivity. PURE students study cutting edge molecules and materials that harvest solar energy to solve hard chemical problems.

PURE PIs

Prof Elizabeth Young (left), experimental spectroscopy

Prof Lisa Fredin (right), computational photochemistry

2024-2025 (left) Prof Young, Nabeel Rifai (IDEAS ’27), Domenica Fertal (3rd yr grad), Sabine Dalias (Engineering ’27), Allen Chen (Physics ’25), Christian Guzmann (3rd yr grad), Matt Reeves (Chem ’26), Vanessa Elias (Engineering ’27) Prof. Fredin (right
2023-2024 (left) Prof. Fredin, Zach Knepp (3rd yr grad), Zach Groner (Chem ‘25), Brielle Byerley (Chem ‘25), Jake Haber (Chem ’25), Allen Chen (Physics ’25), Domenica Fertal (2nd yr grad), Christian Guzmann (2nd yr grad), Prof. Young (right)
2022-2023 (left) Prof. Fredin, Gabe Masso (Chem ‘24), Jake Haber (Chem ’25), Christian Guzmann (1st yr grad), Zach Knepp (2rd yr grad), Domenica Fertal (1st yr grad), Rachel Joh (Pre-Dent ’25), Allen Chen (Physics ’25), Prof. Young (right)
2021-2022 (left back) Robert Hamburger (1st year grad), Prof. Young, Alex Forry (Chem ’22), Zach Knepp (1st yr grad) (right back) (left front) Ice Hu (Chem F’20), Athina Jaffer (IDEAS ‘23), Ing Thongchai (Chem ’24), Katie Sorto (ChemE ‘24), Keira Englehart (Chem ‘22), Prof. Fredin (right front)