Richard A. Friesner

Richard Friesner's research group is focused on the following major areas:

• Development and application of novel methods for ab initio electronic structure calculations, including mixed quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods;
• Development of a new generation of molecular mechanics force fields, including explicit incorporation of polarizability;
• Investigation and improvement of continuum treatments of aqueous solvation;
• Computational models and algorithms for protein structure prediction;
• Modeling of protein-active site chemistry using quantum chemical and QM/MM methods;
• Electron transfer theory; and
• Quantum chemical modeling of the interactions of small molecules with surfaces and nanostructures.

He is the William P. Schweitzer Professor of Chemistry at Columbia.