Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Ryan Pensack joined the Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering at Boise State University in October 2017 as a Staff Scientist working in the Quantum DNA Research group with Profs. Bill Knowlton and Bernard Yurke. His primary areas of expertise and research interests include ultrafast and multidimensional optical spectroscopy, the structure and dynamics of molecular and semiconductor excitons, and nanoscale materials for energy and computing applications.
Educational Background
After graduating from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Chemistry, Dr. Pensack received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Penn State University in 2012. His previous work includes an appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the research group of Prof. Gregory Scholes at Princeton University from 2015-2017 and as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Scholes group at the University of Toronto from 2012-2015.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Bridge rigidity affects the source and magnitude of line broadening in covalently linked squaraine dimers
Lee, J., Lee, J., Knowlton, W. B., Pensack, R. D. & Turner, D. B., 16 Jan 2026, In: Chemical Physics Letters. 883, 142516.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Distinguishing packing configurations of molecular dimers using excited-state absorption peaks in two-dimensional electronic spectra
Barclay, M. S., Cunningham, P. D., Pascual, G., Roy, S. K., Patten, L. K., Susumu, K., Policht, V. R., Mathur, D., Meares, A., Lee, J., Yurke, B., Knowlton, W. B., Davis, P. H., Pensack, R. D., Medintz, I. L., Melinger, J. S. & Turner, D. B., 7 May 2025, In: Journal of Chemical Physics. 162, 17, 174303.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Influence of Collective Excitonic Effects on the Photophysics of Flexibly- and Rigidly-Bridged Squaraine Dimers Targeted for DNA-Based Applications
Lee, J., Krivoshey, A. I., Obukhova, O. M., Vashchenko, A. P., Duncan, K. M., Barclay, M. S., Yurke, B., Mass, O. A., Turner, D. B., Knowlton, W. B., Terpetschnig, E. A., Tatarets, A. L., Lee, J. & Pensack, R. D., 25 Jul 2025, In: ACS Applied Optical Materials. 3, 7, p. 1592-1606 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Optical Properties and Excited-State Dynamics of Safranin O Monomers and Dimers in Aqueous Solution
Rings, A. I., Rodgers, L. A., Duncan, K. M., Sebolt, B. D., Barclay, M. S., Dean, J. C., Cyran, J. D. & Pensack, R. D., 31 Jul 2025, In: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 129, 30, p. 7784-7795 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Overcoming aggregation-induced quenching in DNA-assembled rhodamine dimers
Cavanaugh, P., Roy, S. K., Biaggne, A., Ketteridge, M., Barclay, M. S., Rau, R., Lee, J., Davis, P. H., Knowlton, W. B., Yurke, B., Dean, J. C., Li, L., Turner, D. B. & Pensack, R. D., 30 Jul 2025, In: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 27, 30, p. 16219-16235 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access3 Scopus citations