Catherine Jones Murphy

Catherine Jones Murphy is a Professor and Head of the Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on nanotechnology, particularly gold nanorods and their applications in plasmonics, biomedical engineering, and surface chemistry. She leads the Murphy Research Group, which explores nanoparticle interactions with biological systems and their implications in medicine and environmental science.

• Director of the Chemistry Department's research efforts in nanomaterials.
• Recipient of prestigious awards, including the 2020 ACS Inorganic Chemistry Award and election to the National Academy of Sciences.

Research Interests: Nanoparticle synthesis, plasmonic properties, biological impacts, and environmental behavior of nanomaterials.

Her group's work on gold nanorods has been applied in medical imaging, cancer therapy, and environmental monitoring. Recent studies include self-assembly mechanisms, photothermal effects, and protein-nanoparticle interactions.

Awards: Highlighted achievements include the 2020 ACS Award, 2019 Remsen Award, and contributions to the MoonArk project involving gold nanorods.

Advising and Grants: Mentor to over 30 students and postdocs, with grants supporting research into nanoparticle toxicity, biomedical applications, and plasmonic materials.

Labs/Teams: The Murphy Group collaborates with facilities like the Electron Microscopy Core and Laser Spectroscopy Core at UIUC. Their MoonArk initiative demonstrates interdisciplinary impact in space exploration and art.