Lab Research Areas
The lab focuses on the study of small molecules on heterogeneous surfaces of porous materials using magnetic resonance techniques. The projects cover different aspects of molecules in porous materials and benefit significantly from the combination of NMR, DNP (using endogenous paramagnetic centers), EPR, and the development of new DNP tools and techniques.
Scholar Profile
Daphna Shimon completed her PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science in the Department of Chemical Physics. She specializes in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the tool of choice for chemists probing molecular identity and structure. Her doctorate made an important contribution to contemporary understanding of the operating mechanism of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), a method of enhancing the NMR signal.
Dr. Shimon then spent several years, including postdocs at Dartmouth and Washington University, exploring different aspects of DNP and NMR.
Her lab, the Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Research Group at Hebrew University’s Institute of Chemistry, studies the dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) system, one of only a few in the world that allows both the detection of a nuclear magnetic resonance signal and a pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance signal. This allows her and her researchers to observe the electron behavior during DNP in order to understand the DNP process.
Her research team studies several processes: reactions that take place during CO2 sequestration in rocks and minerals for long term storage of CO2, stone consolidation and protection using nanoparticles to stop stone buildings and statues from crumbling or cracking, and examining the residual organic molecules trapped inside the pores of clay pottery walls for archaeological chemistry purposes.
While at Weizmann, Dr. Shimon was a founding member of the Women in Chemistry Forum. She is proud to serve as a role model in her position at The Hebrew University to ensure that students encounter more female faculty members in physical chemistry.While at Weizmann, Dr. Shimon was a founding member of the Women in Chemistry Forum. She is proud to serve as a role model in her position at The Hebrew University and ensure that students encounter more female faculty members in physical chemistry.
