Professor Thiemens is the discoverer of the mass independent isotope effect. This phenomenon is applied to understanding the origin of our solar system, as well as providing a quantitative way to track the origin of life across Earth’s earliest history. Thiemens' research includes identifying sources of greenhouse gases and elucidating the chemistry of the Earth and Martian atmospheres, past and present. His work studies past climates and chemistry using ice samples from the south pole, the Arctic, and across Tibet. He has developed rocket-based samplers for the upper atmosphere and uses synchrotron-based experiments to investigate the fundamental quantum chemistry of isotope effects.
Thiemens began his post-doctoral career at the Enrico Fermi Institute of the University of Chicago. He came to UCSD as an assistant Professor, was the Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and finally was the founding Dean of the school of Physical Sciences. He has served on numerous National Academy and NRC studies and panels ranging from the Space Sciences Board, and Board on Energy and Environment to studies on topics from helium reserve economics to life across the universe. He has been an editor at PNAS since 2008.
He has twice been the recipient of Humboldt Fellowships and has been awarded the E.O Lawrence (Department of Energy), Goldschmidt, and Leonard Medals and is member of the National Academy and American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the AAAS, AGU, Meteoritical Society, Chemical Society, and European Association for Geochemistry. He has an asteroid named in his honor (Asteroid 7004Markthiemens).
Professional position
- Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego
- John Dove Isaacs Endowed Chair in Natural Philosophy for Physical Sciences, University of California San Diego
Subject groups
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Astronomy and Physics
Astrophysics
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Chemistry
Chemistry, physical
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Earth and Environmental Sciences
Atmospheric chemistry, Climate sciences, Geochemistry
