vesposito@chapman.eduDr. Vincent EspositoSchmid College of Science and Technology; ChemistryThe Esposito lab at Chapman University specializes in the computational chemistry exploration of  Astrochemistry. Research in the Esposito Lab uses computational chemistry (quantum chemistry) techniques to investigate the chemical properties of molecules in space. This work spans across the electromagnetic spectrum in the form of photochemistry and electronic spectroscopy (UV/vis), vibrational spectroscopy (infrared), and rotational spectroscopy (microwave/radio). Only 90 years ago, space was thought to be an empty vacuum. Since then, over 300 molecules have been detected in space with the help of powerful telescopes, sophisticated laboratory experiments, and advanced computational techniques (termed the "triangle of astrochemistry"). The Esposito Lab at Chapman forms one small piece of this triangle, and through many domestic and international collaborations, we hope to arrive at a deeper understanding of our Universe.

Dr. Esposito obtained his Bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of South Carolina. There, he worked with Dr. Susan Richardson studying disinfection by-products in drinking water. During his undergraduate studies, Dr. Esposito spent a summer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center where he first became interested in astrochemistry.

Following his undergraduate studies, he earned his PhD. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He was co-advised by Dr. Marsha Lester and Dr. Joseph Francisco. During his graduate studies, Dr. Esposito used computational methods to study the rotational, vibrational, and electronic spectroscopy of small, metal-bearing molecules of astrochemical interest as well as their photochemical pathways. Additionally, he studied the reaction dynamics and photochemistry of Criegee intermediates via experimental and computational methods.

Before coming to Chapman, Dr. Esposito was a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA where he studied the absorption and emission spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are big carbon sheets, often with hydrogens around the outside, but sometimes with other substituents like deuterium and cyano.Esposito, V. J.; Ferrari, P.; Palmer, C. Z.; Boersma, C.; Candian, A.; Fortenberry, R. C.; Buma, W. J.; Tielens, A. G. G. M. Pinpointing the CN Stretch Frequency of Neutral Cyano-Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Laboratory and Quantum Chemical Spectroscopic Study of 9-Cyanoanthracene. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2025, 1296–1304. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c03396.

Esposito, V. J.; Alessandrini, S.; Dubois, D.; Fortenberry, R. C. A Catalytic Pathway for the Formation of Cyanobenzene in Nitrogen-Rich Environments and the Spectroscopy of the Reactive Intermediates. Planet. Sci. J. 2025, 6 (5), 113. https://doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/adcf17.

Esposito, V. J.; Fortenberry, R. C.; Boersma, C.; Maragkoudakis, A.; Allamandola, L. J. CN Stretches around 4.4 Microns Dominate the IR Absorption Spectra of Cyano-Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 2024, No. 531, L87–L93. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnrasl/slae037.

Esposito, V. J.; Bejaoui, S.; Billinghurst, B. E.; Boersma, C.; Fortenberry, R. C.; Salama, F. Battle of the CH Motions: Aliphatic versus Aromatic Contributions to Astronomical PAH Emission and Exploration of the Aliphatic, Aromatic, and Ethynyl CH Stretches. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2024, 535 (4), 3239–3251. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae2588.

Boersma, C.; Allamandola, L. J.; Esposito, V. J.; Maragkoudakis, A.; Bregman, J. D.; Temi, P.; Lee, T. J.; Fortenberry, R. C.; Peeters, E. JWST: Deuterated PAHs, PAH Nitriles, and PAH Overtone and Combination Bands. I. Program Description and First Look. Astrophys. J. 2023, 959(74), 17.

Esposito, V. J.; Trabelsi, T.; Francisco, J. S. AlOSO: Spectroscopy and Structure of a New Group of Astrochemical Molecules. ApJ 2022, 930(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac6178.

Esposito, V. J.; Friskey, J. M.; Trabelsi, T.; Francisco, J. S. Astrochemical Significance and Spectroscopy of Tetratomic [H, P, S, O]. A&A 2022, 659, A54. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202142705.https://app.box.com/s/hxjwz9daoea553q8oyxux5es4bilaz33pr@chapman.eduvesposito@chapman.edu