R. J. Dwayne Miller

R. J. Dwayne Miller serves as University Professor in both the Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics at the University of Toronto. He also holds significant international appointments as Co-founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Hamburg, Germany, and previously directed the Max Planck Group at Centre for Free Electron Laser Science/DESY. His research focuses on understanding molecular reaction dynamics with particular emphasis on the connection between chemistry driving biological functions and the highly optimized structures in biological systems.

Miller received his B.Sc. Honours from the University of Manitoba (1974-1978) under Professor Bryan R. Henry, followed by a Ph.D. from Stanford University (1978-1983) with Professor Michael D. Fayer. After a NATO Science Fellowship at Université Joseph Fourier (1983-1984), he began his academic career at the University of Rochester, progressing from Assistant Professor to full Professor before joining the University of Toronto in 1995, where he was promoted to University Professor in 2007.

Professor Miller's research spans three interrelated areas: energy transduction in biological systems; interfacial structure and reaction dynamics; and high-order nonlinear laser spectroscopies as probes of liquid and protein 'memory' functions. His group has pioneered the development of ultrabright electron sources that enable direct observation of atomic motions during chemical reactions - creating what they call 'atomic movies.' This groundbreaking work accomplished one of science's dream experiments by bringing the chemist's collective thought experiment of chemistry to direct observation. Their research has challenged established paradigms, particularly in quantum biology where they demonstrated that nature exploits dissipation rather than avoiding it to direct energy transport in photosynthesis.

Analysis of Miller's recent publications reveals a consistent progression from fundamental studies of energy transport to practical applications. His group has evolved their electron diffraction techniques to achieve unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, enabling observation of atomic motions during barrier crossing in catalysis and resolving full enzymatic cycles. A significant trend is their development of serial electron diffraction methods requiring only nanograms of material, which could revolutionize structural biology and chemical synthesis by enabling 'lab on a chip' approaches with orders of magnitude higher throughput.

• Fellow of the Royal Society (2023)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada
• Fellow of the Optical Society of America
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
• European Physical Society Prize for Laser Science
• A.P. Sloan Fellowship
• Camille and Henry Dreyfus Fellowship
• Guggenheim Fellowship
• Humboldt Award
• Presidential Young Investigator
• Rutherford Medal in Chemistry
• CIC Medal
• McNeil Medal for Science Promotion

Professor Miller has secured substantial funding for his innovative research in ultrafast science, leading to numerous technological breakthroughs. His group has developed the Picosecond Infrared Laser (PIRL) technology, which enables minimally invasive surgery with intact molecular signatures for guidance and scar-free healing. This technology has been successfully applied in stapes surgery for hearing loss recovery and in treatments for glaucoma. His work on six-wave mixing spectroscopy has opened new avenues for investigating intermolecular forces that determine the dynamic structure of liquids and proteins.

The Miller Group is housed in the Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories at the University of Toronto, where they maintain state-of-the-art instrumentation they've developed. Their labs include ultrabright electron sources sufficient to 'light up atomic motions' and observe chemistry at the atomic level. The group is working toward establishing the Centre for Atomically Resolved Dynamics to promote collaborative research. They maintain strong international connections, particularly with the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg, reflecting Miller's dual appointments in Canada and Germany.