Professor Vura-Weis received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Stanford University in 1999, then worked for several years as a software developer.The call of the lab beckoned, so he interned with Prof. Ed Solomon for a year to learn how electronic structure calculations can complement sensitive experimental techniques.He them moved to Northwestern University, where he worked with Profs. Mike Wasielewski and Mark Ratner as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.After receiving his Ph.D. in 2009 he moved to Prof Steve Leone’s lab at UC Berkeley as an NSF ACC-F Postdoctoral Fellow.In 2012 he was awarded the ACS Physical Division Postdoctoral Research Award.He joined the University of Illinois faculty as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2013. His group uses advanced laser techniques to study the excited-state electronic and vibrational dynamics of inorganic and organometallic systems.

Vura-Weis, J.; Jiang, C.-M.; Liu, C.; Gao, H.; Lucas, J. M., de Groot, F. M. F.; Yang, P.; Alivisatos, A. P.; Leone, S. R. “Femtosecond M2,3-edge spectroscopy of transition metal oxides: photoinduced oxidation state change in α-Fe2O3”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett.; 2013; 4; 3667; DOI: 10.1021/jz401997d.

Shavorskiy, A; Cordones, A; Vura-Weis, J.; Siefermann, K.; Slaughter, D.; Sturm, F.; Weise, F.; Strader, M.; Cho, H.; Lin, M.-F.; Bacellar, C.; Khurmi, C.; Hertlein, M.; Guo, J.; Bluhm, H.; Tyliszczak, T.; Prendergast, D.; Coslovich, G.; Robinson, J.; Kaindl, R.A.; Schoenlein, R.W.; Belkacem, A.; Weber, T.; Neumark, D.M.; Leone, S.R.; Nordlund, D.; Ogasawara, H.; Nilsson, A.R. Krupin, O.; Turner, J.J.; Schlotter, W.F.; Holmes, M.R.; Heimann, P.A.; Messerschmidt, M.; Minitti, M.P.; Beye, M.; Gul, S.; Zhang, J.Z.; Huse, N.; Gessner, O. “Time-Resolved X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Techniques for Real-Time Studies of Interfacial Charge Transfer Dynamics, Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry”, AIP Conf. Proc.; 2012; 1525; 475; DOI: 10.1063/1.4802374

Thazhathveetil, A.K.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.R.; Lewis, F.D. “The Dynamics and Efficiency of Hole Transport in LNA:DNA Hybrid Diblock Oligomers”, J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Article); 2012; 134; 16434-16640; DOI: 10.1021/ja307989t

Xiong, P.; Nocek, J.M.; Vura-Weis, J.; Lockard, J.V.; Wasielewski, M.R.; Hoffman, B.M.; “Faster Interprotein Electron Transfer in a [Myoglobin, b5] Complex with a Redesigned Interface”, Science; (Report); 2010; 330; 1075-1078; DOI: 10.1126/science.1197054

Vura-Weis, J.; Newton, M.D.; Wasielewski, M.R.; Subotnik, J.E.; “Characterizing the Locality of Diabatic States for Electronic Excitation Transfer By Decomposing the Diabatic Coupling”, J. Phys. Chem. C; (Article); 2010; 48; 20449-20460; DOI: 10.1021/jp104783r

Solomon, G.C.; Vura-Weis, J.; Herrmann, C.; Wasielewski, M.R.; Ratner, M.A.; “Understanding Coherent Transport through π-Stacked Systems upon Spatial Dislocation”. J. Phys. Chem. B; (Article); 2010; 114; 14735–14744; DOI: 10.1021/jp103110h

Vura-Weis, J.; Abdelwahed, S.H.; Shukla, R.; Rathore, R.; Ratner, M.A.; Wasielewski, M.R.; “Crossover from Single-Step Tunneling to Wire-like Multi-step Hopping for Molecular Triplet Energy Transfer”, Science; (Report); 2010; 328; 1547-1550; DOI: 10.1126/science.1189354

Solomon, G.C.; Herrmann, C.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.R.; Ratner, M.A.; “The Chameleonic Nature of Electron Transport through π-Stacked Systems”, J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Communication); 2010; 132; 7887–7889; DOI: 10.1021/ja102434m

Subotnik, J.E.; Vura-Weis, J.; Sodt, A.J.; Ratner, M.A.; “Predicting Accurate Electronic Excitation Transfer Rates via Marcus Theory with Boys or Edmiston-Ruedenberg Localized Diabatization”, J. Phys. Chem. A; (Article); 2010, 114; 8665–8675; DOI: 10.1021/jp101235a

Maeda, C.; Kim, P.; Cho, S.; Park, J.K.; Lim, J.L.; Kim, D.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M. R.; Shinokubo, H.; Osuka, A.; “Large Porphyrin Squares from the Self-Assembly of meso-Triazole-Appended L-Shaped meso-meso-Linked ZnII-Triporphyrins: Synthesis and Efficient Energy Transfer”, Chem. Eur. J.; (Full paper); 2010; 16; 5052-5061; DOI: 10.1002/chem.200903195

Greyson, E.C.; Vura-Weis, J.; Michl, J, Ratner, M.A.; “Maximizing Singlet Fission in Organic Dimers: Theoretical Investigation of Triplet Yield in the Regime of Localized Excitation and Fast Coherent Electron Transfer”, J. Phys. Chem. B.; (Article); 2010; 114; 14168–14177; DOI: 10.1021/jp907392q

Vura-Weis, J.; Ratner, M.A.; Wasielewski, M.R. “Geometry and Electronic Coupling in Perylenediimide Stacks: Mapping Structure – Charge Transport Relationships”, J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Communication); 2010; 132; 1738–1739; DOI: 10.1021/ja907761e

She, C.; Lee, S.J.; Youm, K.T.; Mulfort. K.L.; McGarrah, J.E.; Farha, O.K.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski. M.R.; Chen, H.; Schatz. G.C.; Ratner, M.A.; Hupp, J.T.; “Photoinduced electron transfer from rail to rung within a self-assembled porphyrin oligomeric ladder”, Chem. Commun.; 2010; 46; 547; DOI: 10.1039/b916392a

Lewis. F.D.; Thazhathveetil, A.K.; Zeidan, T.A.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.R. “Dynamics of Ultrafast Singlet and Triplet Charge Transfer in Anthraquinone-DNA Conjugates”, J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Communication); 2010, 132; 444–445; DOI: 10.1021/ja908470d

Bullock, J.; Carmieli, R.; Mickley, S.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.R. “Photoinitiated Charge Transport through pi-Stacked Electron Conduits in Supramolecular Ordered Assemblies of Donor-Acceptor Triads”, J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Article); 2009; 131; 11919-29; DOI: 10.1021/ja903903q

Vura-Weis, J.; Lewis, F.D.; Ratner, M.A.; Wasielewski, M.R. “Influence of Base Pair Sequence on Hole Tranfer through Stilbene-Linked DNA Oligomers”, invited chapter, Charge and Exciton Transport through Molecular Wires, Eds: Siebbeles, L.D.A. and Grozema, F.C.; Wiley-VCH, Weinheim; 2011.

Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.R.; Thazhathveetil, A.K.; Lewis, F.D. “Efficient Charge Transport in DNA Diblock Oligomers.” J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Article); 2009; 131; 9722–9727; DOI: 10.1021/ja9015217

Hariharan, M.; Zheng, Y.; Long, H.; Zeidan, T.; Schatz, G.C.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.; Zuo, X.; Tiede, D.; Lewis, F.D. “Hydrophobic Dimerization and Thermal Dissociation of Perylenediimide-Linked DNA Hairpins”, J. Am. Chem. Soc.; (Article); 2009; 131; 5920–5929; DOI: 10.1021/ja900347t

Daublain, P.; Siegmund, K.; Hariharan, M.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M.R., Lewis, F.D.; Shafirovich, V.; Wang, Q.; Raytchev, M.; and Fiebig, T. “Photoinduced Charge Separation in Pyrenedicarboxamide-Linked DNA Hairpins”, Photochem. Photobio. Sci.; (Article); 2008; 7; 1501-1508; DOI: 10.1039/b813995d

Easwaramoorthi, S.; Jang, S. Y.; Yoon, Z. S.; Lim, J. M.; Lee, C.-W.; Mai, C.-L.; Liu, Y.-C.; Yeh, C.-Y.; Vura-Weis, J.; Wasielewski, M. R.; Kim, D. “Structure-Property Relationship for Two-Photon Absorbing Multiporphyrins: Supramolecular Assembly of Highly-Conjugated Multiporphyrinic Ladders and Prisms”, J. Phys. Chem. A; (Article); 2008; 112; 6563-6570; DOI: 10.1021/jp801626s