Southern Miss to Host 7th Annual Rayborn Lecture Featuring Renowned Physical Chemist
Fri, 09/12/2025 - 02:00pm | By: Jennifer Rigney
Dr. Daniel M. Neumark
A renowned physical chemist whose work explores the fleeting moments of chemical reactions and the ultrafast movements of electrons will headline the 7th annual Grayson H. and Jane Dishong Rayborn Lecture Series in Physics and Astronomy at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM).
Dr. Daniel M. Neumark, professor of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, will deliver his talk, Chemistry Under the Arrow, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Joe Paul Student Theater on USM’s Hattiesburg campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Neumark is a distinguished physical chemist whose career has focused on answering some of the most fundamental questions in science: how and why chemical reactions occur. His research has illuminated the “transition state” of reactions—the brief, high-energy stage that determines how molecules transform—and developed new laser-based techniques to capture and understand these elusive moments.
In addition, his studies of electron behavior in water have advanced understanding of radiation chemistry, biology and solar energy. More recently, he has ventured into the emerging field of attosecond science, using short bursts of light to watch electrons move in real time—a billion times faster than the beat of a human heart.
Neumark has spent nearly four decades on the Berkeley faculty, where he has also served as chair of the Chemistry Department from 2010-14. He directed the Chemical Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 2000-10 and is widely recognized for his contributions. He has received prestigious awards from the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Optical Society of America and Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a Fellow of several leading scientific organizations and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015.
“Bringing a scientist of Dr. Neumark’s stature to campus reflects our school’s deep commitment to academic excellence and public engagement,” said Dr. Theofanis Kitsopoulos, Southern Miss School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences director. “His lecture will offer a rare and inspiring perspective on how the laws of physics govern the chemical reactions that shape our world—from energy production to biological processes.”
“By exploring the atomic and molecular details that drive these transformations, Dr. Neumark takes us on a journey from fundamental physics to the frontiers of innovation. This is the essence of a bottom-up approach to science: understanding the universe by first understanding its smallest moving parts,” added Kitsopoulos. “For students, faculty, staff, and the broader public, this is a unique opportunity to witness the microcosm in motion—to see how foundational scientific insight can illuminate the mechanisms that power life, technology and our planet.”
The Rayborn Lecture Series was established in 2015 through a generous gift to the USM Foundation from Dr. and Mrs. Grayson H. Rayborn, longtime supporters of Southern Miss. Dr. Rayborn joined the USM faculty in 1970 and served in multiple leadership roles, including chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, associate dean of the College of Science and Technology, and director of the School of Mathematical Sciences. He was named professor emeritus of physics and astronomy upon retirement.
Through the Rayborns’ endowment, the annual lecture brings world-class scholars to campus to engage students, faculty, alumni and the community in exploring the latest discoveries in science.
For more information, contact the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at 601.266.4934.