Forschung

Professor Miller’s research has dealt with essentially all aspects of molecular collision theory and chemical reaction dynamics. The more significant of his contributions include a comprehensive semiclassical scattering theory (the classical S-matrix) of inelastic and reactive scattering processes, the reaction path Hamiltonian for describing polyatomic reactions, the S-matrix Kohn variational method for state-to-state reactive scattering, and a rigorous quantum theory of chemical reaction rates (and its semiclassical limit, the “instanton” model) that generalizes transition state theory. Most recently his efforts have focused on developing the initial value representation (IVR) of semiclassical theory into a practical way of adding quantum effects to classical molecular dynamics simulation of chemical processes.

Career

• since 1999 Kenneth S. Pitzer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1998-2001 Chancellor’s Research Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1989-1993 Chairman, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1984-1988 Vice-Chairman, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• since 1974 Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1972-1974 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• since 1969 Staff Senior Scientist, Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
• 1969-1972 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1967-1969 Junior Fellow, Society of Fellows, Harvard University, USA
• 1967-1968 NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Freiburg, Germany
• 1963-1967 Harvard University, National Science Foundation Fellow, USA, A.M. 1964 (Chemistry) Ph.D. 1967 (Chemical Physics), Research Director
• 1959-1963 Georgia Institute of Technology, General Motors National Scholarship, USA B.S. 1963 (Chemistry)

Functions

• since 2009 Member of the International Advisory Committee, Center for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Dalian Institute if Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
• 2007-2009 Foreign Councilor, Institute of Molecular Science, Okazaki, Japan
• 2005 External Elector for the Coulson Chair in Theoretical Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK
• 2002 Member, Review Committee of the Fritz Haber Minerva Center for Molecular Dynamics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
• since 2001 Member, Steering Group, American Association for the Advancement of Science
• 2000-2006 Secretary, International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, Paris, France
• 1999-2001 External examiner, National University of Singapore, China
• 1997-2000 Vice-Chair, Chair-Elect, Chair of the Division of Chemical Physics of the American Physical Society
• 1996-2000 Member, Committee on Committees, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• 1996 External reviewer for the Institute of Molecular Science, Okazaki, Japan
• 1995-2001 Member, Program Committee for the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships in Chemistry
• 1995 External elector for the Chair in Theoretical Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK
• 1992-1999 Chairman, Associateships Program Advisory Committee (APAC) of the Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel (OSEP) of the National Research Council (NRC)
• 1992-1994 Member, Board of Visitors, Office of Naval Research, USA
• 1991-1999 Member, Advisory Board of the Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel (OSEP)  of the National Research Council (NRC)
• 1991-1992 Chairman of the Associateships and Fellowships Program Advisory Committee (AFPAC) of the National Research Council (NRC)
• 1990-1991 Chairman, Chemistry Panel of the National Research Council Associateships Program
• since 1989 Honorary Board Member of the World Congress of Theoretical Organic Chemists
• 1989 Chairman, 1989 Conference on the Dynamics of Molecular Collisions, Asilomar, USA
• 1988-1991 Member, Committee on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences of the National Research Council
• 1988-1990 Member of the Fellowship Committee of the American Physical Society
• 1988 Member, External Review Committee for the Ames Laboratory for Physical Research and Technology, Ames, Iowa, USA

Honours and Memberships

• 2011 Ahmed Zewail Prize in Molecular Sciences
• 2011 elected Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2007 Welch Award in Chemistry
• 2007 Herschbach Award in Molecular Dynamics
• 2003 American Chemical Society Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry
• 2000 Cherry L. Emerson Distinguished Visiting Professor, Emory University
• 1998-1999 Miller Research Professor, University of California, USA
• 1998 Spiers Medal, Faraday Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK
• 1997 Ira Remsen Award, Chesapeake Bay Section of the American Chemical Society
• 1997 College of Sciences Alumni Achievement Award, Georgia Institute of Technology
• 1996 J. O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, USA
• 1994 American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry
• 1994 Honorary Professor, Shandong University, Jinan, China
• 1993 elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 1993 Christensen Visiting Fellowship, St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, UK
• 1990 American Chemical Society Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics
• 1987 elected Member, National Academy of Sciences
• 1985 elected Member, International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science
• 1985 Ernest Orlando Lawrence Memorial Award
• 1981-1982 Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award
• 1978-1979 Miller Research Professor, University of California, USA
• 1975-1976 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellow, USA
• 1975-1976 Overseas Fellow, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, UK
• 1974 Annual Prize of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science
• 1973-1979 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
• 1970-1972 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow