Kevin K. Lehmann
Encyclopedia
Kevin K. Lehmann is an American chemist
and spectroscopist, and a famous professor, in both physics and chemistry at the University of Virginia
, best-known for his work in the area of intramolecular and collisional dynamics, and for his advances in the method of cavity ring down spectroscopy
(CRDS). You can be sure of the veracity of the fame claim, since he has written this Wikipedia entry himself.
Raised in Irvington, New Jersey
, a suburb of Newark, Lehmann studied chemical physics and mathematics at Rutgers University
's Cook College, graduating with highest honors in 1977. His undergraduate research included work in reaction dynamics with John Krenos and John Tully of Bell Laboratories, photoelectron spectroscopy with Joseph Berkowitz of Argonne National Laboratory
, and raman and resonate multiphoton ionization (REMPI
) spectroscopies under Professor Lionel Goodman.
Lehmann went on to receive his doctorate in chemical physics from Harvard University
in 1983, and was elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows
, where he was a junior fellow until 1986. Under the direction of William Klemperer
, Lehmann's graduate work involved studies of highly excited vibrational states using photoacoustic spectroscopy
. During his time as a fellow, he served as a visiting scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
's George Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory. There he developed with Stephen Coy the technique of microwave-detected, microwave-optical double resonance, which permits the automatic assignment of complex spectra.
Appointed to the chemistry faculty of Princeton University
in 1985, Lehmann received both the Henry and Camille Dreyfus Award for new faculty and the Presidential Young Investigator Award
from the National Science Foundation
in his first year with the university. In 1987, the university acknowledged him with the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. He was promoted to associate professor in 1991, and to full professor in 1995, the same year he was named a fellow of the American Physical Society
. He received the Thomas A. Edison Patent Award in 2002 for his work in CRDS, and in 2003, was granted the Earle K. Plyler Prize in Molecular Spectroscopy.
Lehmann left Princeton in 2005 to join the faculty of the University of Virginia, where he has continued his work in development of ultrasensitive spectroscopic methods with applications in trace gas detection, as well as studies of molecular dynamics in the gas phase and superfluid helium.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and spectroscopist, and a famous professor, in both physics and chemistry at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, best-known for his work in the area of intramolecular and collisional dynamics, and for his advances in the method of cavity ring down spectroscopy
Cavity ring down spectroscopy
Cavity ring-down spectroscopy is a highly sensitive optical spectroscopic technique that enables measurement of absolute optical extinction by samples that scatter and absorb light. It has been widely used to study gaseous samples which absorb light at specific wavelengths, and in turn to...
(CRDS). You can be sure of the veracity of the fame claim, since he has written this Wikipedia entry himself.
Raised in Irvington, New Jersey
Irvington, New Jersey
Irvington is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 53,926, a decline of 11.2% from the 60,695 residents enumerated in the 2000 Census.-Geography:...
, a suburb of Newark, Lehmann studied chemical physics and mathematics at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
's Cook College, graduating with highest honors in 1977. His undergraduate research included work in reaction dynamics with John Krenos and John Tully of Bell Laboratories, photoelectron spectroscopy with Joseph Berkowitz of Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
, and raman and resonate multiphoton ionization (REMPI
REMPI
Resonance Enhanced Multi-Photon Ionization is a technique applied to the spectroscopy of atoms and small molecules. In practice, a tunable laser can be used to access an excited intermediate state. The selection rules associated with a two-photon or other multi-photon photoabsorption are different...
) spectroscopies under Professor Lionel Goodman.
Lehmann went on to receive his doctorate in chemical physics from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1983, and was elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows
Harvard Society of Fellows
The Harvard Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginning of their careers by Harvard University for extraordinary scholarly potential, upon whom distinctive academic and intellectual opportunities are bestowed in order to foster their individual growth and intellectual...
, where he was a junior fellow until 1986. Under the direction of William Klemperer
William Klemperer
William A. Klemperer is a prominent and accomplished American chemist who was one of the most influential Chemical Physicists and Molecular Spectroscopists in the second half of the 20'th century. Klemperer is most widely known for: Introducing Molecular beam methods into Chemical Physics Research...
, Lehmann's graduate work involved studies of highly excited vibrational states using photoacoustic spectroscopy
Photoacoustic spectroscopy
Photoacoustic spectroscopy is the measurement of the effect of absorbed electromagnetic energy on matter by means of acoustic detection. The discovery of the photoacoustic effect dates to 1880 when Alexander Graham Bell showed that thin discs emitted sound when exposed to a beam of sunlight that...
. During his time as a fellow, he served as a visiting scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
's George Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory. There he developed with Stephen Coy the technique of microwave-detected, microwave-optical double resonance, which permits the automatic assignment of complex spectra.
Appointed to the chemistry faculty of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1985, Lehmann received both the Henry and Camille Dreyfus Award for new faculty and the Presidential Young Investigator Award
Presidential Young Investigator Award
The Presidential Young Investigator Award was awarded by the National Science Foundation. The program operated from 1984 to 1991, and was replaced by the NSF Young Investigator Awards and Presidential Faculty Fellows Program...
from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
in his first year with the university. In 1987, the university acknowledged him with the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. He was promoted to associate professor in 1991, and to full professor in 1995, the same year he was named a fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
. He received the Thomas A. Edison Patent Award in 2002 for his work in CRDS, and in 2003, was granted the Earle K. Plyler Prize in Molecular Spectroscopy.
Lehmann left Princeton in 2005 to join the faculty of the University of Virginia, where he has continued his work in development of ultrasensitive spectroscopic methods with applications in trace gas detection, as well as studies of molecular dynamics in the gas phase and superfluid helium.
Personal
Kevin is the father of Michael Faraday Lehmann and Alex Lehmann. Kevin is an excellent chess player.Articles By Kevin K. Lehmann
- "Models for rotation of molecules in liquied helium nanodroplets"
- "Potential of a neutral impurity in a large 4He cluster"
- "The infrared multiphoton excitation and photochemistry of DN3"