Leon Jeckel - Biophysical Chemistry Researcher
Biophysical Chemistry

Hi, I’m Leon.

I combine advanced tools of chemistry, physics and biology to do exciting things.

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Research & Industry Experience

Visiting Associate

Improving operations of Fortune 500 Company in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Operations.

Graduate Researcher

Supervisors: Prof. Sam Peng and Prof. Jianshu Cao. Non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamics of motor proteins in vivo.

Graduate Researcher

Supervisor: Prof. Herschel Rabitz. Theoretical reassessment of laser control in chemistry.

Graduate Researcher

Supervisor: Prof. Jeremy Richardson. Instanton dynamics for spectroscopy.

Undergraduate Researcher

Supervisor: Prof. Frédéric Merkt. Theoretical and experimental studies on molecular spectroscopy.

Research Intern

Supervisor: Prof. Alexander Barnes. Mechanical engineering enhancements for solid-state NMR.

Education

Ph.D. Chemistry

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Recipient of the Dean of Science Fellowship.

M.Sc. Chemistry

ETH Zurich

Graduated with Distinction. Recipient of the Hs. H. Guenthard Master Scholarship.

B.Sc. Chemistry

ETH Zurich

Teaching & Mentorship

Application Reviewer

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Broad Summer Research Program: Member of the pre-selection review committee for undergraduate summer research applicants.

🏆

2025 Marco Ponts Teaching Award

Awarded by the Association of Chemistry Students at ETH Zurich (1–3 awards granted per year across the department).

Head Teaching Assistant

ETH Zurich

Inorganic Chemistry I (~200 students). Managed course logistics, coordinated teaching teams, and led recitations.

President

Association of Chemistry Students (VCS), ETH Zurich

Led a 13-member board representing over 1,000 affiliated chemistry students in university committees and departmental governance.

Exam Tutor & Teaching Assistant

ETH Zurich

Physical Chemistry III: Molecular Quantum Mechanics (Summer 2024 Exam Tutor) & Physical Chemistry I: Thermodynamics (Spring 2024 TA).

Teaching Assistant

ETH Zurich

General Chemistry I: Inorganic Chemistry (Fall 2023) & Mathematical Foundations I: Analysis B (Spring 2023).

In the News

Media Feature Department of Chemistry & Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich, 2026

Learn more about Leon Jeckel and his research

News feature upon selection as MIT Dean of Science Fellow.

Media Feature Heidelberg International School, 2026

Future Scientists Meet MIT-Bound Scholar

A conversation on navigating academia and higher education.

Research Spotlight Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 2026

Meet Leon

Research feature of my work in the Peng Lab at the Broad Institute.

Media Feature Forbes, 2021

Inside Google Billionaire Eric Schmidt’s $1 Billion Moon Shot Plan To Fund The World’s Most Promising Teens

Publications & Preprints

Accepted Physical Review Letters, 2026

Precision spectroscopy of the fine and hyperfine structures of high molecular Rydberg-Stark states: Metrology of molecular hydrogen ions

I. Doran, , M. Beyer, Ch. Jungen, F. Merkt.

Published Physical Review A, 2026

Stark effect in molecular Rydberg states: Calculation of Rydberg-Stark manifolds of H2 and D2 including fine and hyperfine structures

I. Doran, , M. Beyer, Ch. Jungen, F. Merkt.

Conference Proceeding Young GDCh Spring Symposium, 2026

Non-Equilibrium Statistical Thermodynamics of Motor Proteins in Cells

, J. Cao, C. S. Peng

Conference Proceeding 29th Colloquium on HRMS, 2025

Precision Measurements in the Molecular Hydrogen Ions from Rydberg-State Spectroscopy

I. Doran, , M. Beyer, Ch. Jungen, F. Merkt