Dr. Hennie Valkenier-van Dijk was born in The Netherlands in 1983 and 23 years later she graduated from the University of Groningen (MSc Chemistry, cum laude). She did her undergraduate research project with Prof. Kees Hummelen, synthesizing an anthraquinone-based redox switch for molecular electronics. After an internship with Ciba Specialty Chemicals, where she studied block copolymers as dispersants in coatings, she returned to the Molecular Electronics group of Kees Hummelen in Groningen as a PhD student. She synthesized π-conjugated molecular wires with thiol anchoring groups, investigated the formation of self-assembled monolayers of these molecules, and collaborated with physicists from various labs to measure the charge transport through her molecular wires. She successfully defended her PhD thesis on this work at 1st of July 2011 (cum laude). Hennie and her husband Jeroen then went to West-Africa to serve a year as volunteers on the hospital ship Africa Mercy, where Hennie worked as a science teacher. In September 2012, she returned to research by joining the Davis group to study anion transport for biomedical applications.

Contact: Hennie.Valkenier@bristol.ac.uk

• Efficient, non-toxic anion transport by synthetic carriers in cells and epithelia
H. Li, H. Valkenier, L. W. Judd, P. R. Brotherhood, S. Hussain, J. A. Cooper, O. Jurček, H. A. Sparkes, D. N. Sheppard, A. P. Davis, Nature Chem., 2015, Accepted

• Sterically geared tris-thioureas; transmembrane chloride transporters with unusual activity and accessibility
H. Valkenier,* C. M. Dias, K. L. Porter Goff, O. Jurček, R. Puttreddy, K. Rissanen, A. P. Davis, Chem. Commun., 2015, Advance Article

• Electric-field control of interfering transport pathways in a single-molecule anthraquinone transistor
M. Koole, J.M. Thijssen, H. Valkenier, J.C. Hummelen, H.S.J. van der Zant, Nano Lett, 2015, 15, 5569-5573

• Biotin[6]uril Esters: Chloride-Selective Transmembrane Anion Carriers Employing C—H···Anion Interactions
M. Lisbjerg, H. Valkenier, B.M. Jessen, H. Al-Kerdi, A.P. Davis, M. Pittelkow, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 4948-4951

• High-Affinity Anion Binding by Steroidal Squaramide Receptors
S. J. Edwards, H. Valkenier, N. Busschaert, P. A. Gale, A. P. Davis, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2015, 54, 4592-4596

• Visualization and Quantification of Transmembrane Ion Transport into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles
H. Valkenier, N. López Mora, A. Kros, A.P. Davis, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2014, 54, 2137-2141

• Preorganized Bis-Thioureas as Powerful Anion Carriers: Chloride Transport by Single Molecules in Large Unilamellar Vesicles
H. Valkenier, L.W. Judd, H. Li, S. Hussain, D.N. Sheppard, A.P. Davis,  J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2014, 136, 12507-12512

• Large negative differential conductance in single-molecule break junctions
M.L. Perrin, R. Frisenda, M. Koole, J.S. Seldenthuis, J.A.C. Gil, H. Valkenier, J.C. Hummelen, N. Renaud, F.C. Grozema, J.M. Thijssen, D. Dulić, H.S.J. van der Zant,  Nat. Nanotechnol., 2014, 9, 830-834

• Lipophilic balance – a new design principle for transmembrane anion carriers
H. Valkenier, C.J.E. Haynes, J. Herniman, P.A. Gale, A.P. Davis, Chem. Sci., 2014, 5, 1128-1134

• Cross-conjugation and Quantum Interference: a General Correlation?
H. Valkenier, C. M. Guédon, T. Markussen, K. S. Thygesen, S. J. van der Molen, J. C. Hummelen, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2014, 16, 653-662

• Statistical Analysis of Single-Molecule Breaking Traces
R. Frisenda, M. L. Perrin, H. Valkenier, J. C. Hummelen, H. S. J. van der Zant, Phys. Status Solidi B, 2013, 250, 2431-2436

• Making a Match for Valinomycin – Steroidal Scaffolds in the Design of Electroneutral, Electrogenic Anion Carriers
H. Valkenier, A. P. Davis, Acc. Chem. Res., 2013, 46, 2898

• Observation of Quantum Interference in Molecular Charge Transport
C. M. Guédon, H. Valkenier, T. Markussen, K. S. Thygesen, J. C. Hummelen, S. J. van der Molen, Nat. Nanotechnol. 2012, 7, 305-309

• Molecular Conductance: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Electrical Characterization of π-Conjugated Wires and Switches
H. Valkenier, PhD Thesis, University of Groningen, 2011

• Correlations between Molecular Structure and Single-Junction Conductance: A Case Study with Oligo(phenylene-ethynylene)-Type Wires
V. Kaliginedi, P. Moreno-García, H. Valkenier, W. Hong, V. M. García-Suárez, P. Buiter, J. L. H. Otten, J. C. Hummelen, C. J. Lambert, Th. Wandlowski, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 5262-5275

• Evidence for Quantum Interference in SAMs of Arylethynylene Thiolates in Tunneling Junctions with Eutectic Ga-In (EGaIn) Top-Contacts
D. Fracasso, H. Valkenier, J. C. Hummelen, G. Solomon, R. C. Chiechi, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 9556-9563

• The Formation of High Quality Self-Assembled Monolayers of Conjugated Dithiols on Gold: Base Matters
H. Valkenier, E. H. Huisman, P. A. van Hal, D. M. de Leeuw, R. C. Chiechi, J. C. Hummelen, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 4930-4939

• An MCBJ case study: The influence of π-conjugation on the single-molecule conductance at a solid/liquid interface
W. Hong, H.Valkenier, G. Mészáros, D. Z. Manrique, A. Mishchenko, A. Putz, P. Moreno- García, C. J. Lambert, J. C. Hummelen, Th.Wandlowski, Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 699–713

• Controlling the interparticle distance in a 2D molecule-nanoparticle network
C. M. Guédon, J. Zonneveld, H. Valkenier, J. C. Hummelen, S. J. van der Molen, Nanotechnology, 2011, 22, 125205

• Using bis(pinacolato)diboron to improve the quality of regioregular conjugated co-polymers
F. Brouwer, J. Alma, H. Valkenier, T. P. Voortman, J. Hillebrand, R. C. Chiechi, J. C. Hummelen, J. Mater. Chem. 2011, 21, 1582-1592

• Foldamers at Interfaces
J. van Esch, H. Valkenier, S. Hartwig, S. Hecht, Foldamers: Structure, Properties, and Applications (Eds.: S. Hecht, I. Huc), Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2007, 403-426

• Synthesis and Properties of an Anthraquinone-Based Redox Switch for Molecular Electronics
E. H. van Dijk, D. J. T. Myles, M. H. van der Veen, J. C. Hummelen, Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 2333-233