Dr. Naomi Shauna Ginsberg stands as a distinguished scholar at the intersection of chemistry, physics, and engineering, currently serving as an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a distinguished position as a Faculty Scientist in the Materials Sciences and Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Divisions at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she has been instrumental in advancing imaging science since her appointment in 2010. Her academic journey began with a B.Sc. in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto in 2000, followed by a doctoral degree in Physics from Harvard University in 2007, where she conducted groundbreaking research on light manipulation in Bose-Einstein condensates under the guidance of Professor Lene Hau. After completing her PhD with a thesis on Manipulations with spatially compressed slow light pulses in Bose-Einstein condensates she transitioned to Berkeley for postdoctoral research with Professor Graham Fleming focusing on photosynthetic processes.
Dr. Ginsberg's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of electronic and molecular dynamics in complex soft materials through the development of innovative electron and optical imaging modalities that enable characterization of ultrafast processes at the nanoscale. Her laboratory has devised novel super-resolution approaches that have been successfully adapted into non-invasive and time-resolved microscopies revealing critical insights into photosynthetic machinery that harvests solar energy with remarkable efficiency. Through these methodological innovations her team has documented initiating events of photosynthesis occurring in femtosecond timescales and contributed significantly to the fundamental understanding of light-matter interactions in biological systems. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges the gap between physical principles and biological function creating transformative tools that illuminate previously hidden dynamics in hierarchical materials ranging from photovoltaic semiconductors to membrane proteins.
As a respected leader in her field Dr. Ginsberg serves as the Berkeley lead of STROBE a multi-university NSF Science and Technology Center devoted to imaging science and is an active member of the Kavli Energy Nanoscience Institute at Berkeley. Her exceptional contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards including the David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering 2011 an Alfred P Sloan Foundation Fellowship 2015 and a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award 2016 which underscore both her research excellence and dedication to education. Beyond her laboratory achievements she is celebrated as a transformative educator who places a high premium on communication and creating supportive learning environments where scientific inquiry can thrive without intimidation. Currently her research continues to push the boundaries of imaging science with implications for next-generation renewable energy technologies and fundamental understanding of biological processes at the molecular scale.
