Adam E. Cohen

Adam E. Cohen is the John P. Reardon, Jr., Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics at Harvard University, affiliated with the Department of Physics. His research focuses on developing and applying new physical tools to probe molecules and cells, spanning from quantum mechanics to pure biology. His lab has developed a new class of fluorescent protein indicators of membrane potential, enabling visualization of electrical dynamics in neurons, heart cells, and bacteria. Cohen also discovered a new property of electromagnetic fields, optical chirality, which determines the degree of chiral selectivity in the interaction of light with chiral molecules. He invented an Anti-Brownian Electrokinetic trap (ABEL trap) capable of trapping and manipulating individual fluorescent molecules in solution at room temperature. Part of the lab is studying chemical reactions whose outcome is exquisitely sensitive to small magnetic fields, a consequence of quantum coherence in a room-temperature liquid. Research in the Cohen Lab is unified by the search for ways to achieve precise control over the classical and quantum states of molecules under conditions that are warm and wet and squishy.

Adam Cohen is a researcher in Biophysics, Neuroscience, and Physical Chemistry, focusing on the intersection of optical methods and biological systems. His work explores the use of light to probe and manipulate neural activity, as seen in studies on all-optical electrophysiology and voltage imaging in neurons. Cohen also investigates the interaction of chiral molecules with light, including optical chirality and enantioselectivity. His research spans from biophysics to nanoscale manipulation, including methods for trapping and controlling nanoparticles. Additionally, he contributes to understanding cellular dynamics through techniques like surface plasmon resonance and electrokinetic trapping.