Dr. Partha P. Bera

Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center / BAERI

Email: Partha.P.Bera@nasa.gov

Phone: (650)604-2028

Professional Biography

Dr. Partha Pratim Bera is a research scientist at the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and works at the Space Science and Astrobiology division of the NASA Ames Research Center.  Prior to this he was a postdoctoral fellow from 2008 to 2011 at Ames with the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP).  Dr. Bera received his Ph.D. degree in quantum chemistry and electronic structure theory from the Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry at the University of Georgia.  Partha received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in chemistry from the Presidency College and the University of Calcutta.  He investigated novel chemistry of evolution of complex organic molecules towards becoming biogenic in astrophysical environments, and the spectroscopy and atmospheric chemistry of gas phase molecules using the techniques of ab initio quantum chemistry. Partha enjoys teaching and educating. Prior to his PhD Partha taught part-time at an undergraduate degree college in India. Partha has also taught summer courses in Molecular Astrophysics at the Stanford University’s Pre-Collegiate Studies institute for five years. Partha has mentored several NASA under-graduate and graduate interns over the years. Partha is a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and has served as the vice-chair, Chair-Elect, and Chair of the Astrochemistry Subdivision of the Physical Chemistry Division of the ACS. Partha has also served as the Associate editor for Newsletter of the Silicon Valley Section of the ACS from 2013 to 2019. Dr Bera is currently a member of the steering committee for the Prebiotic Chemistry in Early Earth Environments (PCE3) Research Coordination Network.

Partha’s current research interests include molecular formation and destruction in space, structure, spectra, and novel chemistry of evolution of Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) towards becoming biogenic in astrophysical environments using the techniques of ab initio quantum chemistry. Partha’s current research works include chiral synthesis of sugar acids and amino acids, and mechanisms of proto metabolism in space. His general research interests are computational chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, astrochemistry and physical chemistry. For more of Dr. Bera’s recent research interests please see the Quantum Chemistry Group’s webpage. 

Education

Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry, The University of Georgia, USA
M.Sc. Physical Chemistry, The University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
B.Sc. Chemistry (Honors) Presidency College, Kolkata, India

Research Interests

Chemical Physics, Electronic Structure of Molecules, Astrochemistry, Astrobiology, Mid-IR, Far-IR, (sub)-Millimeter Theoretical Spectroscopy, Reaction Mechanisms, Formation and Destruction of Molecules in Space, Radiation Damage, Ice Chemistry, Gas-grain Chemistry, Vibrational Anharmonicity, Atmospheric Chemistry, Evolutionary Processes, Proto-Metabolism, Global Warming

Projects

Interdisciplinary Consortium for Astrobiology Research (ICAR),  “The Formation and Evolution of Prebiotic Organics in Extraterrestrial Environments: Exploring the Role of Astrochemistry in the Origin of Life” 2023-2028, Co-I

Emerging Worlds program grant, 2021-2023, “Exploration of chemical reaction mechanisms to investigate the formation of organics in meteorites,” PI

NPP‘Theoretical Spectroscopy Applied to Astrochemistry and Atmospheric Chemistry’, 2008 – 2011,  PI

“The life cycle of carbon in the galaxy” Co-I

NASA Astrobiology Institute CAN7 grant proposal “The evolution of prebiotic chemical complexity and organic inventory of protoplanetary disks and primordial planets” 2015-2019, Co-I

Selected Publications

 “Quantum chemical exploration of the binding motifs and binding energies of neutral molecules, radicals and ions with small water clusters: characterization and astrochemical implications.” J. Hendrix, Partha P. Bera, T.J. Lee and M. Head-Gordon.  Molecular Physics, 2023.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00268976.2023.2252100

“Cavity-Ring Down Spectroscopy of Anthracene,”Salma Bejaoui, Partha P. Bera, Timothy J. Lee, and Farid Salama, J. Phys. Chem. A (2023), 127, 2717-2730. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.2c08994

Partha P. Bera, Kendra Noneman, and Timothy J. Lee, “Energy Landscape and Structural and Spectroscopic Characterization of Diazirine and Its Cyclic Isomers”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2022, 126, 4700-4708 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.2c01444

Olivier Berne et al. PDRs4All: A JWST Early Release Science Program on Radiative Feedback From Massive Stars, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2022, 134, 054301. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/ac604c/meta

Heather Abbott-Lyon, Carlos R. Baiz, Partha P. Bera, Kyle Crabtree, Qiang Cui, Ryan Fortenberry, Christy F. Landes, Anne B. McCoy, Rodrigo Noriega, and David   E. Woon, ‘Viewpoint on ACS PHYS division sponsored virtual seminars’, Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2021, 125, 1680, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.1c00302; JPCB 2021, 125, 1973, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00531/ JPCC 2021, 125, 4342 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c00532

“Molecular Growth Upon Ionization of Van der Waal’s Clusters Containing HCCH and HCN is a Pathway to Prebiotic Molecules” Tamar Stein*, Partha P. Bera*, Timothy J. Lee, and Martin Head-Gordon, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 22, 20337-20348 (2020), Highlighted by the editors as a “2020 PCCP HOT article”, (*equal contribution)

“Pyruvate aldol condensation product: a metabolite that escaped synthetic preparation for over a century.“Andro Rios, Partha P. Bera, Jennifer Moreno, and George Cooper, ACS Omega, 5, 15063-15068, (2020)

“Climate metrics for C1-C4 hydrocarbons (HFCs).” James B. Burkholder, Paul Marshal, Partha P. Bera, Joseph S. Francisco,  and Timothy J. Lee, Journal of Physical Chemistry A,  124, 4793-4800, (2020)

“Cation, anion, and radical isomers of C₄H₄N: computational characterization and implication for astrophysical and planetary environments.” Josie Hendrix, Partha P. Bera, Timothy J. Lee and Martin Head-Gordon, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 124, 2001-2013 (2020)

 “Prebiotic Astrochemistry and the Formation of Molecules of Astrobiological Interest in the Interstellar Cloud and Protostellar Disks.” Scott A. Sandford, Michel Nuevo, Partha P. Bera, and Timothy J. Lee, Chemical Reviews, 120, 4616-4659, (2020)

“Highly Accurate quartic force field and Ro-Vibrational Spectroscopic Constants for the Azirinyl Cation (C₂H₂N⁺) and Its Isomers.” Partha P. Bera, Xinchuan Huang, Timothy J. Lee, The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 124, 362-370, (2020)

“The Calculated Infrared Spectra of Functionalized Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) Molecules” Partha P. Bera, Scott A. Sandford, Timothy J. Lee, Michel Nuevo, The Astrophysical Journal, 884, 64, (2019)

“Mechanisms of the Formation of Adenine, Guanine, and Their Analogues in UV-Irradiated Mixed NH₃: H₂O Molecular Ices Containing Purine” Partha P Bera, T Stein, M Head-Gordon, TJ Lee. Astrobiology 17 (8), 771-785 (2017)

“Mechanisms for the formation of thymine under astrophysical conditions and implications for the origin of life” Partha P Bera, M Nuevo, CK Materese, SA Sandford, TJ Lee. The Journal of chemical physics 144 (14), 144308 (2016)

“Low-Temperature Formation of Nitrogen-Substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (panhs)—Barrierless Routes to Dihydro(iso)quinolines” Dorian Parker, Tao Yang, Beni Dangi, Ralf Kaiser, Partha P. Bera, and Timothy J. Lee, Astrophys J., 815, 115 (2015), DOI

“Hydrocarbon growth via ion-molecule reactions: computational studies of the isomers of C₄H₂⁺, C₆H₂⁺ and C₆H₄⁺ and their formation paths from acetylene and its fragments” Partha P. Bera, Roberto Peverati, Martin Head-Gordon, and Timothy J. Lee, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 17, 1859 (2015), DOI

 “Morning after in Mars”  Partha P. Bera,India Today magazine, Special Report, 27 August 2012.

“Initiating molecular growth in the interstellar medium via complexes of observed ions and molecules” Partha P. Bera, Martin Head-Gordon, and Timothy J. Lee, Astron & Astrophys. 535, A74, (2011) DOI

“Mechanism for the abiotic synthesis of Uracil via UV induced oxidation of Pyrimidine in astrophysical condition” Partha. P. Bera (corresponding author), Michel Nuevo, Stefanie Milam, Scott Sandford, and Timothy J. Lee J. Chem. Phys. 133, 104303 (2010).DOI

“Design Strategies to Minimize Radiative Efficiencies of Global Warming Molecules” 
Partha. P. Bera, Joseph S. Francisco, and Timothy J. Lee Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 9049-9054 (2010). DOI  Some news items about our paper: NatureChemistry, Discovery, NASA NewScientist

“Identifying the Molecular Origin of Global Warming” Partha. P. Bera, Joseph S. Francisco, and Timothy J. Lee J. Phys. Chem. A, 113, 12694-12699 (2009). DOI

 “Deprotonated Guanine-Cytosine Base Pair” Maria C. Lind, Partha. P. Bera, Nancy Richrdson, Steven Wheeler, and H. F. Schaefer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103, 7554-7559 (2006). DOI

“Mindless Chemistry” Partha. P. Bera, K. Sattelmeyer, M. Saunders, H. F. Schaefer, and P. v. R. Schleyer, J. Phys. Chem. A, 110, 4287 (2006). DOI Most Accessed article in J. Phys. Chem. An in 2006. DOI

“(G-H)-C and G-(C-H) Radicals Derived From the Guanine-Cytosine Base Pair Cause DNA Subunit Lesions” Partha. P. Bera and H. F. Schaefer, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 6698-6703 (2005). DOI

A full list of publications: ResearcherID Profile and Google Scholar

Select Accepted Proposals

PI for NASA ROSES Emerging World award, “Exploration of chemical reaction mechanisms to investigate the formation of organics in meteorites”, 2021-2023

Co-I for NASA Astrobiology Institute CAN7 grant proposal “The evolution of prebiotic chemical complexity and organic inventory of protoplanetary disks and primordial planets” 2015-2019

Co-I for NASA grant “The life cycle of carbon in the galaxy” 2011-2014

PI for the fellowship grant titled ‘Theoretical Spectroscopy Applied to Astrochemistry and Atmospheric Chemistry’ to NASA, 2008 – 2011

Awards & Others

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow (2008)