The goal of our group's research is to investigate ultrafast conformational dynamics ("jigglings and wigglings") of complex molecular systems by means time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy, in particular by means of two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy. The molecular systems we study include peptides and proteins, molecular machines, and transition-metal complexes.

In all of these systems, the molecular motions take place on many time scales, ranging from less than a picosecond to microseconds and longer. Structural dynamics taking place on such vastly different time scales are difficult to investigate with conventional structure-resolving methods, but can be probed directly using time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy.