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David N. Beratan

R.J. Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
Box 90346, Durham, NC 27708-0346
5311 French Science Center, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Dr. Beratan is developing theoretical approaches to understand the function of complex molecular and macromolecular systems, including: the molecular underpinnings of energy harvesting and charge transport in biology; the mechanism of solar energy capture and conversion in man-made structures; the nature of charge conductivity in naturally occurring nucleic acids and in synthetic constructs, including the photochemical repair of damaged DNA in extremophiles; CH bond activation by copper oxygenase enzymes; the flow of charge in bacterial appendages on the micrometer length scale; the theoretical foundations for inverse molecular design - the property driven discovery of chemical structures with optimal properties; the exploitation of molecular diversity in the mapping of molecular and materials "space"; the use of infra-red excitation to manipulate electron transport through molecules; the optical signatures of molecular chirality and the influence of chirality on charge transport. Prof. Beratan is affiliated with the Departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, as well as Duke's programs in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Structural Biology and Biophysics, Nanosciences, and Phononics.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


R.J. Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Chemistry · 2001 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Chemistry · 2001 - Present Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Biochemistry · 2002 - Present Biochemistry, Basic Science Departments
Professor of Physics · 2023 - Present Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published May 3, 2024
Five Duke Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Published March 9, 2022
Duke Scientists Received $1 Million from Keck Foundation to Develop Nature-Inspired Super-Efficient Catalysts
Published February 1, 2022
New Super-Conducting Technology Takes Data Beyond Zeroes and Ones

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Recent Publications


Hopping mediated transport between finite pools of redox proteins.

Journal Article The Journal of chemical physics · June 2025 Transport reactions in biology involve the flow of particles-electrons, ions, or molecules-between reservoirs. We explore how electron transport between finite reservoirs depends on the nature of the reservoirs, including their size, occupancy, and interac ... Full text Cite

Shell Thickness and Heterogeneity Dependence of Triplet Energy Transfer between Core-Shell Quantum Dots and Adsorbed Molecules.

Journal Article Journal of the American Chemical Society · May 2025 Quantum dot (QD)-sensitized triplet energy transfer (TET) has found promising applications in photon upconversion and photocatalysis. However, the underlying mechanism of TET in the QD-acceptor complex remains unclear despite the well-developed TET theory ... Full text Cite

Quantum simulation of spin-boson models with structured bath.

Journal Article Nature communications · April 2025 The spin-boson model, involving spins interacting with a bath of quantum harmonic oscillators, is a widely used representation of open quantum systems that describe many dissipative processes in physical, chemical and biological systems. Trapped ions prese ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Mapping of Electron Tunneling Pathways in Proteins

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1993 - 2028

Elucidating Interplays of Chirality and Spin in Chiral Assemblies

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by North Carolina State University · 2023 - 2028

Electron Bifurcation Theory

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Energy · 2020 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


California Institute of Technology · 1986 Ph.D.
Duke University · 1980 B.S.