Troy Van Voorhis

Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Troy Van Voorhis is a professor of chemistry at MIT and an expert in electron transfer dynamics, solar energy, and molecular electronics. Troy Van Voorhis received his bachelor's degree in chemistry and mathematics from Rice University and his PhD in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, he joined the faculty of MIT. His research focuses on the intersection of quantum mechanics and chemistry. In particular, his work addresses questions of how solar energy can be efficiently captured and stored. He is the author of numerous scholarly publications and a fellow of the David & Lucille Packard foundation.

Troy Van Voorhis has spoken at numerous Veritas Forums, in addition to moderating a Forum between Steven Pinker and William Hurlbut at his home institution of MIT. In 2011, Troy Van Voorhis spoke alongside three colleagues at MIT in "Life, the Universe, and MIT: 4 Brilliant MIT Professors Share Their Worldviews." In 2012, Troy Van Voorhis spoke at Veritas Forums at the University of Rhode Island, UC Berkeley, and Bowdoin College.