Theis Ivan Sølling

Theis Ivan Sølling is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen since 2016, previously serving as Associate Professor from 2004–2016. His research bridges fundamental ultrafast photochemistry and applied oil/gas studies, utilizing femtosecond lasers to probe molecular dynamics at the femtosecond scale. Current work focuses on reaction mechanisms in organic chromophores and pore-scale flow phenomena in porous media.

His primary research interests center on mechanistic organic photochemistry, particularly internal conversion and intersystem crossing in organic molecules, where structural changes within picoseconds dictate photophysical outcomes. Applied interests include modifying flow in oil reservoirs through surface chemistry and developing computational models from tomographic data. This dual focus links quantum mechanical calculations with experimental techniques like time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy.

Recent publications reveal a strong interdisciplinary trend, merging atmospheric chemistry of halocarbons (e.g., CF₃CN kinetics) with petroleum engineering challenges (scale formation, barite removal). His work increasingly addresses energy transition topics, such as hydrogen carrier sustainability, while maintaining core expertise in ultrafast reaction dynamics.

Sølling has supervised 4 PhD students (Liv B. Klein, Thomas S. Kuhlman, Rasmus Y. Brogaard, Nerijus Rusteika), 9 Master’s, and 10 Bachelor’s projects. Major funding includes the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Molecular Movies, Carlsberg Foundation apparatus grants, and Villum-Kahn Rasmussen grants for femtosecond laser infrastructure.

He leads the femtolab at Copenhagen, housing a femtosecond laser system for gas-phase photoelectron spectroscopy and solution-phase absorption studies. Collaborative teams include Maersk Oil Qatar (2013–2016), Brown University, NRC Canada, KAUST, and National Chiao Tung University, with ongoing projects on confocal microscopy for organic species in rocks.