Our research program has two major foci: the interaction of light with molecules and the exploitation of this interaction for biological and chemosensing applications.  We are particularly interested in ruthenium-based coordination complexes that damage DNA when photoactivated with visible light and are actively investigating such systems as potential agents for photodynamic therapy.  Through such pursuits, students in the McFarland laboratory gain experience in organic and inorganic synthesis, laser spectroscopy, photochemistry and photophysics, DNA topology, molecular and cell biology, and optical microscopy.