Bob Lemieux

Professor Lemieux's lab bridges the fields of organic synthesis, physical organic chemistry and condensed matter physics to create new liquid crystal materials that are used in fast switching ferroelectric and electroclinic LCD applications by taking advantage of their inherent structure-property relationships.

His research has resulted in a better understanding of how chirality (a molecule’s "handedness") propagates in smectic liquid crystal phases, which is leveraged to produce ferroelectric LCDs with faster response times, and in the development of new liquid crystal materials for the formulation of defect-free ferroelectric and electroclinic LCD applications.

His group is one of only a few chemistry groups in the world with the expertise necessary to synthesize new liquid crystal materials, characterize their physical properties, and evaluate their potential as active components of electro-optical and photonic devices.

• Ferroelectric liquid crystals
• Chiral organic materials
• Liquid crystals for display applications
• Condensed Matter
• Soft Matter
• Synthetic Chemistry and Catalysis
• Smart and Functional Materials

• 1989, PhD, Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA
• 1984, BA, Chemistry with high honours, Colgate University, USA

• 2012, Samsung Mid-Career Award, International Liquid Crystal Society
• 2007, Chemistry Graduating Class Award for Teaching Excellence, Queen's University
• 2006, Visiting Lectureship, Chemistry Research Promotion Center, National Science Council of Taiwan
• 2005, W. J. Barnes Teaching Excellence Award for the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society, Queen’s University
• 2000, Ontario Premier's Research Excellence Award
• 1999, Japanese Government Research Award for Foreign Specialist, Science and Technology Agency of Japan
• 1999, Chancellor’s Research Award, Queen’s University
• 1997, Chemistry Graduating Class Award for Teaching Excellence, Queen's University
• 1997, CNC/IUPAC Travel Award
• 1994-1996, Ichikizaki Fund for Young Chemists Travel Awards

• 2015-2023, Dean, Faculty of Science

• 2010-present, Member of the Board of Directors, International Liquid Crystal Society
• 1994-present, International Liquid Crystal Society
• 1992-present, Chemical Institute of Canada, Organic Division
• 1987-present, American Chemical Society, Organic Division

• Ahmed, Z., Müller, C., Johnston, J. J., Nguyen, K., Schubert, C. P., Abitaev, K., ... & Lemieux, R. P. (2019). Design of liquid crystals with ‘de Vries-like’properties: the effect of an ethynyl spacer in the core structure. Liquid Crystals, 46(6), 896-904.
• Müller, C., Schubert, C. P., Lemieux, R. P., & Giesselmann, F. (2018). The Influence of Carbosilane Nanosegregation on the Dynamics in ‘de Vries‐type’Liquid Crystals. ChemPhysChem, 19(20), 2703-2708.
• Ahmed, Z., Müller, C., Holzwarth, M., Haege, C., Giesselmann, F., & Lemieux, R. P. (2018). The design of smectic liquid crystals with an axially chiral biphenyl core: in search of a proper ferroelectric liquid crystal phase. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 6(6), 1562-1566.
• Ahmed, Z., Müller, C., Johnston, J. J., Nguyen, K., Schubert, C. P., Abitaev, K., ... & Lemieux, R. P. (2018). Design of liquid crystals with ‘de Vries-like’properties: the effect of an ethynyl spacer in the core structure. Liquid Crystals, 1-9.
• Cohen, O., Ferris, A. J., Adkins, R., Lemieux, R. P., Avnir, D., Gelman, D., & Rosenblatt, C. (2018). Chiral organosilica particles and their use as inducers of conformational deracemization of liquid crystal phases. Chemical Physics Letters, 696, 112-118.
• Harjung, M. D., Schubert, C. P., Knecht, F., Porada, J. H., Lemieux, R. P., & Giesselmann, F. (2017). New amphiphilic materials showing the lyotropic analogue to the thermotropic smectic C* liquid crystal phase. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 5(30), 7452-7457.

• R.P. Lemieux and L. Dinescu "Compounds and Methods for Doping Liquid Crystal Hosts." U.S. Patent No. 5,989,451. Issued November 23, 1999.