Bogdan Dragnea

Bogdan Dragnea is the Provost Professor of Chemistry at Indiana University Bloomington. He holds affiliations with the Department of Chemistry and leads the Dragnea Group, focusing on mesoscale materials and their unique physical-chemical properties. His research integrates experimental and theoretical approaches to study phenomena such as thermoplasmonics, super-radiance, and virus mechanics. Dragnea's work emphasizes developing optical characterization methods and exploring applications in biomimetic nanoparticles and viral assembly pathways.

Dragnea received his Diploma in Physics from the University of Bucharest (1992) and a Ph.D. from Université de Paris (1996), followed by postdoctoral research at JILA (1998–2001). His research themes include nanostructured materials, plasmonic systems, and the interplay between structure and function in biological systems.

His lab investigates viral capsid mechanics, nanoparticle-induced phase transitions, and super-fluorescent materials. Recent studies emphasize radiation brightening in virus-like particles and the design of targeted contrast agents for medical imaging. Despite no listed scientific awards, his contributions to biophysical chemistry and nanotechnology are widely recognized in the field.

Dragnea's work on virus-based devices and engineered nanoparticles bridges chemical physics with biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery and hyperthermia treatments. His lab collaborates on projects involving photothermal microscopy and interferometric lithography for advanced material characterization.