Bradley D. Smith // People // Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry // University of Notre Dame

Bradley D. Smith

Bioorganic & Supramolecular Chemistry

Biography

2008-present: Emil T. Hofman Chair, University of Notre Dame
2008-present: Director, Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility
2001-2008: Professor, University of Notre Dame
1997-2001: Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame
1991-1997: Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame
1990-1991: Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University
1989-1990: Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford University, UK
1988: Ph.D. in Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
1983: B.Sc. in Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Australia

Selected Awards

2012: Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry
2011: Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2008: Visiting Fellow, Japan Society for Promotion of Science
2000: Kaneb Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award

Research Interests

SMART MOLECULES FOR IMAGING, TARGETING, AND HEALTH (SMITH). The specific research projects are diverse and encompass topics such as organic synthesis, membrane biophysics, photonics, and small animal imaging. A major aim is to develop novel molecular imaging probes that can detect dying cells in culture, and tumors and bacterial infection in living animals. Some of the fluorescent imaging probes are commercially available. They help accelerate the pre-clinical stages of drug discovery and development, and also enable new strategies for studying the biology of human disease. The probes may eventually be employed in humans for fluorescence guided surgery. A notable discovery is a family of interlocked molecules called squaraine-rotaxanes which have many potential applications as extremely bright and stable fluorescent Near-IR dyes. An offshoot of this work is the development of new methods of achieving laser-induced photothermolysis for biomedical imaging and therapeutic applications.