Sharon Hammes-Schiffer

Sharon Hammes-Schiffer (born May 27, 1966) is a physical chemist who has contributed to theoretical and computational chemistry. She is currently the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University. She has served as senior editor and deputy editor of the ''Journal of Physical Chemistry'' and advisory editor for ''Theoretical Chemistry Accounts''. She is the editor-in-chief of ''Chemical Reviews''.

Hammes-Schiffer studies "chemical reactions in solution, in proteins and at electrochemical interfaces, particularly the transfer of charged particles driving many chemical and biological processes." Her research draws upon the areas of chemistry, physics, biology, and computer science and is significant for the fields of biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry and physical organic chemistry. A theoretician who works with computational models, Hammes-Schiffer blends classical molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics into theories that have direct relevance to a variety of experimental areas. In studying proton, electron and proton coupled electron transfer, Hammes-Schiffer has formulated a general theory of proton-coupled electron transfer reactions that explains the behavior of protons in energy conversion processes. Her research has enhanced the understanding of hydrogen tunneling and protein motion in enzyme catalysis. Her research group has also developed a nuclear-electronic orbital approach that allows scientists to incorporate nuclear quantum effects into electronic structure calculations. Her work has application to a variety of experimental results and has implications for areas such as protein engineering, drug design, catalyst of solar cells, and enzymatic reactions. In 2024, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society. Provided by Wikipedia