Home
Welcome to the McHale Group Home Page
The main tool in our lab is Resonance Raman Spectroscopy, which provides insight into the structure and dynamics of molecules in excited electronic states. The longstanding goal of our research has been to develop spectroscopic tools for the study of photoinduced electron transfer. In recent years, this research emphasis has coaxed us out onto vast playfields in physical chemistry and materials science, as we pursue fundamental questions about electron transfer in 
nanoscale systems. All of our current research projects are relevant to light harvesting, solar energy conversion and photocatalysis. While we focus on fundamental questions of how and why, we are motivated by the possibility that our discoveries will help to solve pressing energy problems. Plus, we get to play with lasers. 
nanoscale systems. All of our current research projects are relevant to light harvesting, solar energy conversion and photocatalysis. While we focus on fundamental questions of how and why, we are motivated by the possibility that our discoveries will help to solve pressing energy problems. Plus, we get to play with lasers. Please visit the following links (under construction) to learn more about our ongoing research projects and the people working on them:
- Overview of resonance Raman spectroscopy
- Spectroscopy of dye-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticle films
- Light-harvesting betalain dyes: natural pigments for solar energy conversion
- Photoluminescence spectroscopy of nanoparticle defects
- Spectroscopy and imaging of light-harvesting porphyrin aggregates