Bradley Smith
Emil T. Hofman Professor of Science; Director, Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility
- Office
- 340J McCourtney Hall - West
Notre Dame, IN 46556 - bsmith3@nd.edu
Research Areas
- Biochemistry
- Organic Chemistry
Research Specialties
- Life Processes
- Medicine
- Synthesis
Prospective Graduate Students
Biography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008-present | Emil T. Hofman Professor of Science, 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
2018 Harold Kohn Endowed Distinguished Alumni Lecturer, The Pennsylvania State University
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.
Selected Publications
- Cheney, H.; Gamage, R. S.; Chiaramonte, J.; Price, C. G.; Davidson, C.; Hanjaya-Putra, D. and Smith, B. D. "Targeting Calcium-Crosslinked Alginate Hydrogel in a Living Subject using a Synthetic Anion Receptor" 2026 Chemical Science, in press. DOI: 10.1039/d6sc05110c.
- Zhang, Z. M.; Sanders, H. S.; Ali, A. and Smith, B. D. "Annulated Cationic Tetramethyl Indo(di)carbocyanine Dyes Exhibit Potent Dark Cytotoxicity in Cancer Cells" 2026 Dyes and Pigments, 251, 113701. DOI: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2026.113701.
- Sanders, H. S.; Rooney, K. A.; Panethiere, M. A.; Atkinson, K. M. and Smith, B. D. "Doubly Protected Ester Prodrug of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for Enhanced Cell Uptake and Photoinactivation" 2026 Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 25 (9), pp.1687–1699. DOI: 10.1007/s43630-026-00944-7.
- Bhandari, J.; Catuto, R.; Zhang, Z. M.; Smith, B. D.; Chen, H. T. and Hartland, G. V. "Plasmon-Exciton Coupling and Dephasing in Hybrid Au Nanostructure/J-Aggregate Systems" 2026 Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 130 (29), pp.10287–10294. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.6c02759.
- Shi, K. J. and Smith, B. D. "Imine Bond Protection by Supramolecular Encapsulation" 2026 Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 24 (24), pp.4992–5000. DOI: 10.1039/d6ob00736h.
- Sanders, H. S.; Price, C. G.; Barreto, A.; Rho, S.; O'Sullivan, T. D. and Smith, B. D. "Implanted Miniature Light Devices for Phototherapeutics" 2026 Advanced Therapeutics, 9 (1), e00492. DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202500492.