About (click to open/close)
Matthew Mgbukwu is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Alexander Gillett’s group in the Electronic and Photonic Materials division, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Sweden. He completed his PhD at the Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS, CNRS/Université de Strasbourg) under the supervision of Dr. Jérémie Léonard, combining femtosecond transient absorption, fluorescence up-conversion, and computational chemistry to unravel the photoisomerization mechanism of oxindole-based molecular photoswitches — biomimetic analogues of the retinal chromophore of rhodopsin. His work established how electrondonating substituents switch the excited-state pathway between precessional and axial motion around a conical intersection, reproducing with a single chemical handle the electrostatic control a photoreceptor protein exerts on its chromophore. He has also worked with the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
Matthew’s research applies ultrafast laser spectroscopy transient absorption, time-resolved infrared, and two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to molecular photoswitches, molecular motors, and TADF emitters, asking how coherent vibrational motion controls photoreaction efficiency at conical intersections. The same question underlies both of his application interests: what biological photoreceptors reveal about designing efficient lightdriven systems for optogenetics and photopharmacology, and how molecular lightharvesting and solar energy conversion can serve Africa’s green energy transition. His expertise spans experimental nonlinear optical techniques and the development of custom scientific software (Python/PyQt5) for ultrafast instrument control. His postdoctoral position is supported by the Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) through the grant “Wavefunction control in organic semiconductors” (2024–2029).
Alongside his research, Matthew is active in building the collaborations and mentorship structures that sustain physics careers across Africa and its diaspora. He is the Diasporan Coordinator of the UniJos Global Physics Network (UGPN), which connects early-career researchers with mentors, research groups, and training opportunities abroad. He is also a board committee member of Photonics Nigeria, a society promoting photonics and optical sciences across Nigeria, raising the visibility of the field among students and institutions and strengthening its links to the international photonics community.
Selected publications (click to open/close)
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Mgbukwu M, Fu X, Peshkov RY, Doellerer D, Granados Buitrago C, Feringa BL, et al. Tuning the Photoisomerization Mechanism of Oxindole Switches with Electron-Donating Substituents. J Phys Chem B. 2025 Apr 17;129(15):3839–50.
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