Klaus Schmidt-Rohr

Klaus Schmidt-Rohr is a Professor of Chemistry at Brandeis University. He holds a PhD from Mainz University (Germany) and has held faculty positions at Iowa State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on advanced solid-state NMR spectroscopy to study polymer materials, carbon nanothreads, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and natural organic matter. He has pioneered methods to analyze nanostructured materials and introduced the oxygen theory of combustion and respiration energetics, challenging traditional bioenergetics paradigms.

Education: PhD in Physics (Mainz University, 1991), Diploma in Physics (Mainz University, 1989). Early career included postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley (Alexander Pines lab) and the Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research.

Research interests include thermodynamic analysis of energy storage (e.g., batteries), structural insights into materials like Nafion fuel-cell membranes, and the molecular mechanisms of organic matter in soils and oceans. His work combines cutting-edge NMR technique development with fundamental energy theory.

Awards include American Physical Society Fellow (2013), AAAS Fellow (2008), and the Otto-Hahn Medal (1991). His lab’s innovations span from carbon nanothread characterization to elucidating soil organic matter dynamics.

Grants and collaborations include NSF-funded projects on NMR methodology and energy storage materials. His group maintains an active website and has published over 190 peer-reviewed articles.