Mary Jane Simpson
Assistant Laboratory Professor in Chem/Biochem

- Office
- McCardell Bicentennial Hall 328
- Tel
- (802) 443-5978
- msimpson@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Spring 2023: Drop-in hours are held on Tuesdays 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm and Wednesdays 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm in MBH 563
- Additional Programs
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Mary Jane Simpson is from Altamonte Springs, FL. She received her B.S. in chemistry from Stetson University in 2009. Working with Prof. Warren Warren at Duke University, she received her Ph.D. in chemistry in 2014. Her research at Duke University was focused on developing novel laser microscopy-based tools to employ human skin pigment as a melanoma biomarker. She continued her studies as a postdoctoral research associate at Oak Ridge National Lab, where she built a one-of-a-kind laser microscope to explore the causes of inefficiency in perovskite solar cell materials. She joined the faculty of Middlebury College in 2016 as an associate in science instruction.
Dr. Simpson’s current research interests are using advanced data analysis techniques on complex multidimensional data sets with a particular interest in hyperspectral microscopy applications. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and gardening with her family.
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Courses Taught
CHEM 0103
Current
General Chemistry I
Course Description
General Chemistry I
Major topics will include atomic theory and atomic structure; chemical bonding; stoichiometry; introduction to chemical thermodynamics. States of matter; solutions and nuclear chemistry. Laboratory work deals with testing of theories by various quantitative methods. Students with strong secondary school preparation are encouraged to consult the department chair for permission to elect CHEM 0104 or CHEM 0107 in place of this course. CHEM 0103 is also an appropriate course for a student with little or no prior preparation in chemistry who would like to learn about basic chemical principles while fulfilling the SCI or DED distribution requirement. 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab, 1 hr. disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
Publications
B. Doughty, M.J. Simpson, S. Das, K. Xiao, Y.Z. Ma, “Connecting Femtosecond Transient Absorption Microscopy with Spatially Co-Registered Time Averaged Optical Imaging Modalities,” The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 124 (19), 3915-3923 (2020)
Y.Z. Ma, B. Doughty, M.J. Simpson, S. Das, K. Xiao, “On the origin of spatially dependent electronic excited-state dynamics in mixed perovskite thin films,” Lithuanian Journal of Physics, 58 (4) (2018).
M. J. Simpson, B. Doughty, S. Das, K. Xiao, Y.-Z. Ma, “Separating Bulk and Surface Contributions to Electronic Excited-State Processes in Hybrid Mixed Perovskite Thin Films via Multimodal All-Optical Imaging,” Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 8 (14), 3299-3305 (2017).
M. J. Simpson, B. Doughty, B. Yang, K. Xiao, Y.-Z. Ma, “Imaging Electronic Trap States in Perovskite Thin Films with Combined Fluorescence and Femtosecond Transient Absorption Microscopy,” Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 7 (9), 1725-1831 (2016).
B. Doughty, M. J. Simpson, B. Yang, K. Xiao, Y.-Z. Ma, “Simplification of Femtosecond Transient Absorption Microscopy Data from CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Thin Films into Decay Associated Amplitude Maps,” Nanotechnology 27 (11), 1-10 (2016).
M. J. Simpson, B. Doughty, B. Yang, K. Xiao, Y.-Z. Ma, “Separation of Distinct Photoexcitation Species in Femtosecond Transient Absorption Microscopy,” ACS Photonics 3 (3), 434-442 (2016).
M. J. Simpson, B. Doughty, B. Yang, K. Xiao, Y.-Z. Ma, “Spatial Localization of Excitons and Charge Carriers in Hybrid Perovskite Thin Films,” Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 6 (15), 3041-3047 (2015).
J. W. Wilson, S. Degan, C. S. Gainey, T. Mitropoulos, M. J. Simpson, J. Y. Zhang, W. S. Warren, “Comparing in vivo pump–probe and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy of melanoma and pigmented lesions” Journal of Biomedical Optics, 20 (5), 051012 (2015).
M. J. Simpson, J. W. Wilson, C. P. Dall, K. Glass, J. D. Simon, W. S. Warren, “Near Infrared Excited State Dynamics of Melanins: the Effects of Iron Content, Photo-Damage, Chemical Oxidation, and Aggregate Size,” Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 118 (6), 993-1003 (2014).
M. J. Simpson, K. Glass, J. W. Wilson, P. Wilby, J. Simon, W. S. Warren, “Pump-Probe Microscopic Imaging of Jurassic-Aged Eumelanin,” Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 4 (11), 1924-1927 (2013).
M. J. Simpson, J. W. Wilson, M. A. Phipps, F. E. Robles, M. A. Selim, W. S. Warren, “Nonlinear Microscopy of Eumelanin and Pheomelanin with Subcellular Resolution,” Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 133, 1822-1826 (2013).
T. E. Matthews, J. W. Wilson, J. Y. Zhang, M. J. Simpson, J. Y. Jin, W. S. Warren, “In vivo and ex vivo epi-mode pump-probe imaging of melanin and microvasculature,” Biomedical Optics Express, 2, 1576-1583 (2011).
T. E. Matthews, I. R. Piletic, M. A. Selim, M. J. Simpson, W. S. Warren, “Pump-probe imaging differentiates melanoma from melanocytic nevi,” Science Translational Medicine, 3, 71ra15 (2011).