Valter Zazubovits, Ph.D.

Professor, Physics
Chair, Physics

Research areas: Photosynthesis research using optical methods. Energy and charge transfer. Protein dynamics. Tunneling in biological systems. Explosives detection. Novel microscopy and single-molecule imaging techniques.

Contact information

Email:

valter.zazubovits@concordia.ca

Website:

Research Group Webpage

Biography

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow (Ames Laboratory, USDOE and Iowa State University; 1999-2005)
Ph.D., University of Tartu, Estonia; 1999

Research interests

Biophotonics and fluorescence microscopy
Quantum Biology - quantum physics in biological systems beyond "regular chemistry"
Renewable energy: Optical spectroscopy of pigment-protein light-harvesting photosynthetic complexes - energy transfer and charge transfer.
Low-temperature protein dynamics with protein-chlorophyll complexes as model systems. Heat transfer in proteins and through protein-water interfaces. Energy landscapes and dynamics in amorphous solids.
Biosensors for explosives detection utilizing photosynthetic reaction centers.
Energy transfer in systems mimicking photosynthetic antennae

Research Group Page

Selected recent publications

Total publication number: 56; h-index: 18 (as of September 2019)

1. Identification of Residues Potentially Involved in Optical Shifts in the Water-Soluble Chlorophylla-Binding Protein through Molecular Dynamics Simulations, M. Mai, V. Zazubovich, R. Mansbach, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2024, 128, 1371–1384.

Bound Detergent Molecules in Bacterial Reaction Centers Facilitate Detection of Tetryl Explosive. D. Modafferi, V. Zazubovich, L. Kalman, Photosynth. Res., 2020, 145, 145-157.

Simultaneous Spectral Hole Burning Involving Two Tiers of the Protein Energy Landscape in Cytochrome b₆f. G. Shafiei, A. Levenberg, M. A. Lujan, R. Picorel and V. Zazubovich. J. Phys. Chem. B 2019, 123,10930-10938.

· Biophotonics of Photosynthesis, V. Zazubovich and R.Jankowiak; Invited chapter for Photonics: Scientific Foundations,Technology and Applications; D. L. Andrews, Ed., Vol. 4, Wiley 2015, pp. 129-164.

· Site Selective and Single Complex Laser-Based Spectroscopies: A Window on Excited State Electronic Structure, Excitation Energy Transfer, and Electron-Phonon Coupling of Selected Photosynthetic Complexes (Invited Review) , R. Jankowiak, M. Reppert, V. Zazubovich, J. Pieper, T. Reinot, Chem. Rev. 2011, 111, 4546.

· Detection of Explosive Compounds using Photosystem II-based Biosensor, V. Bhalla, X. Zhao, V. Zazubovich, J. Electroanal. Chem. 2011, 657, 84.

Low-Temperature Protein Dynamics of the B800 Molecules in the LH2 Light-Harvesting Complex: Spectral Hole Burning Study and Comparison with Single Photosynthetic Complex Spectroscopy, D. Grozdanov, N. Herascu, T. Reinot, R. Jankowiak, V. Zazubovich, J. Phys. Chem. B 2010, 114, 3426.

Teaching activities

Positions available

Potential graduate students are encouraged to contact me at any time. Please note, however, that application deadline for September start is in February!

A wide variety of projects is available for undergraduate students – whichever your natural inclinations are (or in whichever way you want to challenge yourself) – optical, mechanical,chemical, software-related, or a combination of all of the above – we can find something for you. Have a look at the research page for current research directions and past student projects.

Courses

PHYS 205, Electricity and Magnetism
PHYS 252, Optics

PHYS 260, Introductory Biophysics

PHYS 367 Relativity and Modern Physics

PHYS 377 Quantum Mechanics I

PHYS 679 (graduate), Optical Spectroscopy with Biophysics Applications

· SCOL 350, Random Processes (a hybrid between probability theory and biophysics)

· PHYS 497 and 496: Please contact me if you are interested in doing an undergraduate research project with me (specialization or honors; I accept Chemistry students as well)