Prof. Dr. Shirin Faraji is a theoretical chemist and Head of the Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. After completing her PhD at Heidelberg University in 2010, she held a postdoctoral position at Goethe University Frankfurt before leading an independent junior research group funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation's Elite program. From 2014 to 2016, she was a DAAD-sponsored visiting scientist at the University of Southern California. In 2017, she was appointed Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Groningen, where she served until 2024 before taking up her current position in Germany.
Prof. Faraji develops theoretical methods, algorithms, and software for hybrid quantum/classical dynamics simulations of photoactive molecules in complex environments. Her research provides atomistic insight into light-driven processes, helps translate experimental observations into molecular mechanisms, and enables the computer-aided design of functional molecules. She has received numerous honors, including the Burg Foundation Teaching Award, the Robert Bosch Fellowship for Excellence and Leadership, and the prestigious NWO Vidi Grant. Her research has been supported by substantial national and international funding, including from DAAD, NWO, the European Union, and other funding agencies.
Prof. Faraji is actively engaged in scientific leadership and service through roles on numerous scientific boards, advisory committees, and professional organizations. She served as Chair of the Computational and Theoretical Chemistry Section of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society, Chair of the Lorentz Center Chemistry, and a member of the NWO Round Table Chemistry. She currently serves on the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Committee and the Board of Directors of Q-Chem Inc., one of the world's leading quantum chemistry software. In 2025, she was elected to the Board of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists (WATOC).
