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Measurement and Evaluation

Woodward, Jonathan
Professor
MA (Oxon) DPhil (Oxon)
Magnetoreception, Spin Chemistry, Photochemistry
Woodward Lab
http://opes.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/spinchem/
TEL: +81-3-5465-7738

Degrees and Jobs

2019-present Professor, University of Tokyo, Japan.
2011-2019 Associate Professor, University of Tokyo, Japan.
2008-2011 S.A. Associate Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan.
2007-2008 Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Leicester, UK.
2001-2007 Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Leicester, UK.
2000-2001 Post-doctoral Research Associate, University of Oxford, UK.
1998-2000 Post-doctoral Research Associate, RIKEN, Wako, Japan.
1993-1997 DPhil in Physical Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK.
1989-1993 MA in Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK.

Profile / Research Interests

Prof. Woodward's research centers on the unique properties of 'Spin Correlated Radical Pairs (SCRPs).' These remarkable entities are intermediates in a range of chemical and biological reactions and due to their very special quantum mechanical properties, show reactivity that can be influenced by even very weak magnetic fields. This makes them one of the only known candidates capable of acting as a chemical or biological sensor of magnetic fields. Indeed in recent years, SCRPs generated in proteins known as cryptochromes have been identified as the most likely source of animal magnetosensitivity in a wide range of different species.

Prof. Woodward's group develops new experimental methodologies to look at the detailed properties and behaviour of radical pairs staring from basic physics and applying these ideas to molecular biology. These techniques include laser microscopy and spectroscopy, magnetic resonance methods and spin state control through static, oscillating and pulsed magnetic fields. He is particularly interested in the potential harmful or helpful effects of environmental magnetic fields on biology with an aim to characterize the behaviour of SCRPs both in vitro and in vivo.

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