Caram, Justin R.

Physical

Caram Justin

Short Biography

Professor Caram was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After high school, Prof. Caram attended Harvard, conducting research with Professors Jim Anderson, studying trace atmospheric radicals, and Vinny Manoharan studying self-assembled colloidal nanoclusters.  He went on to do a PhD at the University of Chicago with Greg Engel, studying quantum coherence using multidimensional spectroscopies.

At the completion of his PhD program, he took up residence at MIT, bridging the chemistry and engineering departments as the Bob Silbey Memorial Postdoc for the MIT-Harvard Center for Excitonics.   Prof. Caram studies photophysics of nanomaterials supramolecular structures, developing novel spectroscopies which exploit the detection and timing of individual photons.

Research Interests

Prof. Caram’s research leverages the detection, sorting, and timing of individual photons to unravel heterogeneity, complex chemical processes, and energy flow in nanomaterial and biological systems. His research combines time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and path length interferometry to develop new spectroscopies that probe chemical systems across the visible and shortwave infrared. The scope of his research extends to the influence of energetic disorder on optoelectronic materials and the complex chemistry of oxidative stress. His research has broad applications,from creating efficient light harvesting materials to understanding disease modalities.

Caram Group Web Site >>

Honors & Awards

  • Richard P. Van Duyne Early Career Award for Experimental Physical Chemistry 2024
  • JPC C – PHYS Lectureship 2023
  • Sloan Research Fellowship 2023
  • Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar 2022
  • Cottrell Scholar 2021
  • AXS Glenn Seaborg Award Winner 2020
  • NSF Career Award Winner 2020
  • Center for Diversity Leadership in Science Inaugural Faculty Fellow 2018-2019
  • Robert Silbey Memorial Postdoctoral Fellowship, MIT 2016-2017
  • Edith Barnard Memorial Award in Chemistry for Service to Others 2013
  • Joan Shiu Departmental Service Award 2011
  • Midwest Society of Cosmetic Chemistry Scholarship 2011
  • Physical Science Teaching Award 2009
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship 2008-2012
  • Freud Fellowship 2008-2009

Representative Publications

[ Selected Publications ]