Kurt Brorsen

Kurt Brorsen is an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia's Department of Chemistry. He leads the Brorsen research group, focusing on computational/theoretical chemistry with an emphasis on quantum mechanical methods, particularly multicomponent approaches that incorporate nuclear quantum effects without assuming the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. His work includes multireference and many-body multicomponent methods, machine learning-based nonadiabatic dynamics, and astrochemistry-relevant molecular properties.

Education: BS from the University of Oklahoma (2008), PhD from Iowa State University (2014). Postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois (2014-2018) before joining MU in 2018.

Research Interests: The group develops novel quantum chemistry methods, such as multicomponent CASSCF, heat-bath configuration interaction, and machine learning potentials for mixed quantum-classical dynamics. Key areas include protonic density calculations, nuclear quantum effects, and astrochemical molecule properties. Recent work emphasizes large active spaces for accuracy and adaptive sampling techniques.

Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles since 2011, with recent contributions on multicomponent basis sets (2023), oxidative polymer deposition (2022), and machine learning-driven dynamics (2020). Themes include methodological advancements for proton dynamics and correlated systems.

Lab/Team: The Brorsen Group operates out of Schlundt Hall, leveraging computational resources to advance theoretical chemistry. Their work bridges high-accuracy quantum methods with practical applications in materials and astrochemistry.