If you would like to reach me in person, my laboratory and office are located in the Science Center, room SC2120. My phone is (616) 395-7629, and my email is kruegerb@hope.edu.
My current role as an assistant professor of chemistry at Hope College (2001-present) reflects my interests in liberal arts education as well as the importance of a high quality research atmosphere. My research applies physical chemical methods to understand the details behind how efficient biological function is achieved in nature. Some professional information is listed below, but more detail can be found on my C.V.
Research Background
Postdoctoral training with Peter A. Kollman at the University of California at San Francisco (1999-2001). We used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to examine the folding function of a peptide from an SH3 domain.
Postdoctoral visit with Rienk van Grondelle at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1999). We examined energy transfer within the peridinin chlorophyll-a protein of dinoflagellates using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy.
Graduate training with Graham R. Fleming first at The University of Chicago (1993-1997) and later at the University of California at Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1997-1999). Dissertation title: The Role of Carotenoids in Bacterial Light Harvesting. I used a variety of techniques to examine energy transfer, mainly within photosynthetic light-harvesting antenna. Experimental methods included mainly picosecond and femtosecond fluorescence spectroscopy along with a variety of photon echo spectroscopies. Computational methods included ab initio excited state calculations and the transition density cube (TDC) method.
Undergraduate research at Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri and Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri. I helped complete construction of a dispersive vibrational circular dichroism spectrometer and used a variety of spectroscopic methods to characterize semiconductor nanocrystals.
Selected Research Funding
2005-8 National Science Foundation. Acquisition of a Computer Cluster for Research, Research Training, and Teaching. Co-PI with William Polik (Hope), Daniela Kohen (Carleton), Keith Kuwata (Macalester), and Jonathan Smith (Gustavus-Adolphus). $ 379,609.
2005-7 American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund. Simulating Linear and Nonlinear Optical Spectra in Condensed Phase Systems with a Mixed Molecular Dynamics and Quantum Mechanical Method. $ 35,000.
2005-6 TeraGrid. Using replica exchange molecular dynamics to evaluate dynamic contributions to fluorescence-detected resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments in hen egg-white lysozyme. 30,000 hours.
2004-6 National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Evaluation of a mixed molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical method for simulating linear and nonlinear optical spectra in condensed phase systems. 200,000 hours.
2004-7 Hope College Towsley Research Scholar Award. Understanding Disease and Treatment by Understanding Protein Function: Developing New Biophysical Tools in Structural Biology. One semester sabbatical and $ 16,000.
2002-4 Research Corporation. Protein-protein interactions studied through 1-d and 2-d fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy and molecular dynamics calculations. $ 45,200.
Recent Publications
Electronic Excitation Transfer from Carotenoid to Bacteriochlorophyll in the Purple Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas acidophila. B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, R. Jimenez, and G.R. Fleming. J. Phys. Chem. B. 102, 2284-2292 (1998).
Calculation of Couplings and Energy Transfer Pathways Between the Pigments of LH2 by the ab initio Transition Density Cube Method. B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, and G.R. Fleming. J. Phys. Chem. B. 102, 5378-5386 (1998). And erratum: 102, 9603 (1998).
Fluorescence Upconversion and ab initio Studies of the Light-Harvesting Function of Carotenoids in Bacterial Light-Harvesting Antenna. B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, I.R. Gould, and G.R. Fleming. In: Ultrafast Phenomena XI, eds. T. Elsaesser, J.G. Fujimoto, D.A. Wiersma, W. Zinth, Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, p.666-668 (1998).
The Light Harvesting Process in Purple Bacteria. B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, J.-Y. Yu, and G.R. Fleming. Acta Physica Polonica A (Special Issue: Jablonski Centennial Conference on Luminescence and Photophysics, Torun, July 23-27, 1998), 95, 63-83 (1999).
Carotenoid Mediated B800-B850 Coupling in LH2. B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, I.R. Gould, and G.R. Fleming. PhysChemComm. 8 (1999). http://www.rsc.org/ej/qu/1999/C9903172/index.htm.
Observation of the S1 State of Spheroidene in LH2 by Two-Photon Fluorescence Excitation. B.P. Krueger, J. Yom, P.J. Walla, and G.R. Fleming. Chem. Phys. Lett. 310, 57-64 (1999).
Ultrafast Energy Transfer in LHC-II Revealed by Three-Pulse Photon Echo Peak Shift Measurements. R. Agarwal, B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, M. Yang, J. Yom, L. Mets, and G.R. Fleming. J. Phys. Chem. B. 104, 2908-2918 (2000).
Two-Photon Excitation Spectrum of Light-Harvesting Complex II and Fluorescence Upconversion after One- and Two-Photon Excitation of the Carotenoids. P.J. Walla, J. Yom, B.P. Krueger, and G.R. Fleming. J. Phys. Chem. B. 104, 4799-4806 (2000).
Energy Transfer in the Peridinin Chlorophyll-a Protein of Amphidinium carterae Studied by Polarized Transient Absorption and Target Analysis. B.P. Krueger, S.S. Lampoura, I.H.M. van Stokkum, E. Papagiannakis, J.M. Salverda, C.C. Gradinaru, D. Rutkauskas, R.G. Hiller, and R. van Grondelle. Biophys. J. 80, 2843-2855 (2001).
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of a Highly-Charged Peptide from an SH3 Domain: A Possible Sequence-Function Relationship. B.P. Krueger and P. A. Kollman. Proteins. 44, 4-15 (2001).
Energy Transfer in the Peridinin-Chlorophyll-a Protein of Amphidinium carterae studied by polarized absorption measurements. S.S. Lampoura, B.P. Krueger, I.H.M. Van Stokkum, J.M. Salverda, C.C. Gradinaru, D. Rutkauskas*, R.G. Hiller, R. Van Grondelle. Int.J.Mod.Phys. B. 15, 3849-3852 (2001).
Photochemistry. G. R. Fleming, J. W. Longworth, and B.P. Krueger. In: Encyclopedia Brittanica Online.
Energy Transfer in Light-Harvesting Complexes LHCII and CP29 of Spinach Studied with Three-Pulse Echo Peak Shift and Transient Grating. J.M. Salverda, M. Vengris, B.P. Krueger, G.D. Scholes, A.R. Czarnoleski*, V. Novoderezhkin, H. van Amerongen, and R. van Grondelle. Biophys J. 84, 450-465 (2003).
Energy Transfer in the Nanostar: The Role of Coulombic Coupling and Dynamics. W. Ortiz, B.P. Krueger, V.D. Kleiman, J.L. Krause, and A.E. Roitberg. J. Phys. Chem. B. 109, 11512-11519 (2005).
Structural Fluctuations and Excitation Transfer Between Adenine and 2-Aminopurine in Single-Stranded Deoxytrinucleotides. J.M. Jean and B.P. Krueger. J. Phys. Chem. B. in press.
A Thermodynamic Exploration of Eosin-Lysozyme Binding: A Physical Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory Experiment. A.J. Huisman*, L.R. Hartsell*, M.J. Pikaart, and B.P. Krueger. manuscript in preparation for J. Chem. Ed.
Evaluation of a Hybrid Molecular Dynamics and Quantum Mechanics Method for Simulating Solvation Dynamics. Matthew C. Zwier*, Justin M. Shorb*, and Brent P. Krueger. manuscript in preparation.
Computational Analysis of the Assumptions Underlying the Use of FRET as a Spectroscopic Ruler. D. Van Beek*, Matthew C. Zwier*, Justin M. Shorb*, and Brent P. Krueger. manuscript in preparation.