Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
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thiebes.bsky.social
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
@thiebes.bsky.social
740 followers 900 following 260 posts
☀️ Thiebes rhymes with Phoebus

⚗️ physical chemist / chemical physicist
🔬 time-resolved spectro/microscopy
📊 data science & analytics
🌟 lifelong learner

🎯 banner: laser interference
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thiebes.bsky.social
As I always say:

Shamrocks for your real friends,
Real rocks for your sham friends.

(Unless they are geologists, in which case give them both.)
A potted Oxalis triangularis (shamrock) plant with green, triangular leaves and delicate pale lavender flowers. The plant sits in a terracotta pot by a window, with soft natural light highlighting the translucent petals and the geometric shape of the leaves.
October 25, 2025 at 4:47 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
Got my COVID booster.
Person wearing a white mask with handwritten text ‘FU RFK,’ showing their upper arm with a colorful cartoon bandage after receiving a Covid booster.
September 9, 2025 at 12:30 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
Doctor Evil, the bald parody villain from the Austin Powers films, smirks while raising his pinky finger to his mouth.
September 7, 2025 at 5:20 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
Cozying up to kick off my birthday weekend with this remarkable new book by Toby Hendy @tibees.bsky.social. Look closely at the photograph: an inversion hides in plain sight! The fourth dimension may be closer than it seems…
Joseph Thiebes, wearing pajamas, holds the book “A Guide to Making Friends in the Fourth Dimension” by Toby Hendy, partly covering his face. An elephant sconce hangs on the wall behind him. A hallway extends into the background with a mirror that reflects light and his silhouette from behind.
September 6, 2025 at 4:38 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
Happy Tau Day!

We celebrate both Pi Day and Tau Day at our house. Tau (≈6.28) is 2π, and some say it is the better circle constant. Either way, it is a great chance to talk angles, radians, and geometry with kids. Preferably over something round and tasty. #TauDay
A cartoon illustration showing the Greek letter tau (τ) with a smiling face on the left. On the right, there are two smiling cartoon pies stacked vertically. An equal sign is between them, indicating that tau equals two pies. The background is dark blue.
June 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Pão de Queijo! Easy to make:

170 g tapioca flour
1 egg
1/3 C olive oil
2/3 C milk
66 g cheese
1 tsp salt

Blend to homogeneity, 3/4 fill greased mini muffin pan, bake at 400 F for 15 min.

Spray the pan w/ canola oil because it is healthy and to spite RFK who hates it. #ChemistsWhoCook
A green plastic container filled with freshly baked pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). The small, round pastries have a golden-brown crust on the sides and a soft, slightly puffed, yellowish top. They are piled together, showcasing their airy and chewy texture. The container sits on a neutral-colored surface.
March 15, 2025 at 4:43 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Although she fell asleep every time we listened to Project Hail Mary (audiobook), the 5yo retained enough to draw this picture of Rocky, the alien in the book, almost a week after we finished listening.
A child’s drawing in red marker on white paper depicts Rocky, the alien from Project Hail Mary. The figure has a rounded, dome-like body with several circular spots and six legs ending in clawed feet. A head extends upward from the back of the body, featuring a small face with simple details. The drawing is made with bold, expressive lines, and some grass-like details appear at the bottom.
March 2, 2025 at 10:19 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Clearly, my recent paper might find itself in hot water with the ‘bias patrol.’ I suppose ‘systematic error’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it! #Optics #Photonics ⚛️ 🧪
The image contains a passage from a scientific paper discussing the systematic error in diffusion coefficient estimates. It states that for small diffusion lengths (L_D ≤ 0.1 FWHM₀), the mean estimated diffusion coefficient (⟨D_est⟩) is biased toward faster diffusion rates. In an extreme case of low contrast and small diffusion length (LD = 0.01 FWHM₀), composite least squares fitting yields an estimated diffusion coefficient that is an order of magnitude larger than the nominal value (D_nom). The passage references Figure 7(b), which explores how systematic error biases ⟨D_est⟩ when contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR₀) is less than or equal to 10. Key instances of the word “biased” are highlighted.
February 5, 2025 at 5:26 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
Refreshments to accompany tomorrow’s White Elephant gift exchange. #ChemistsWhoCook
A tray of vanilla sugar cookies shaped like elephants rests on a silicone baking mat. The cookies feature soft edges, with faint imprints resembling the elephants’ eyes, trunks, and ears. They are freshly baked with a light golden color and an even, smooth texture.
December 16, 2024 at 5:04 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
I used Cubehelix to generate the gradient for the main figure, below, in the paper "Quantifying noise effects in optical measures of excited state transport." doi.org/10.1063/5.01...
December 9, 2024 at 9:11 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Mine were:
1. The Sugarcubes - Life’s Too Good
2. Mazzy Star - She Hangs Brightly
3. Throwing Muses - Hunkpapa
4. Jane’s Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
The album art features a bright green background with bold, contrasting black and pink text. The word “sugar” is written in large black serif font, while “cubes” is in a playful pink font. Two abstract stick figure drawings are dancing in the foreground, one holding a heart-shaped object. A large white exclamation mark is positioned behind the text and figures, creating a striking and dynamic composition. The album art shows an interior view of an ornate staircase in a dimly lit space with an art nouveau design. The staircase curves upward, featuring intricate wrought-iron railings. The flooring has a swirling mosaic pattern, and decorative columns extend to the ceiling with elegant, branching details. The image is rendered in a blue and gray tonal palette with a vintage aesthetic. The album’s title and artist name, written in a handwritten yellow font, appear in the upper left corner. The album art features a mustard-yellow background with a bold, circular yellow gear symbol in the center. Inside the gear, a black, rough-textured sketch of a spiked animal or creature is prominently displayed. The band name, “Throwing Muses,” appears in a black typewriter-style font at the top, while the album title, “Hunkpapa,” is written in red lowercase letters near the bottom, using the same typewriter font. The design has a minimalistic, handmade aesthetic. The album art depicts a sculptural tableau featuring three figures entwined together, wrapped in a flowing red cloth. The figures have a surreal, handcrafted appearance with white skin, exaggerated facial features, and textured black hair. Bright yellow and orange rays emanate from behind their heads, resembling halos or sunbursts, adding a spiritual or iconic quality. Surrounding the central figures is a densely decorated scene with various objects, including religious imagery, candles, flowers, and framed pictures, creating a collage-like effect. The album title, “Ritual de lo Habitual,” is handwritten on the left side, and the band’s name, “Jane’s Addiction,” appears in bold blue text at the bottom corners, framed by a red border. An explicit content advisory label is positioned in the top right corner.
December 8, 2024 at 10:03 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
In solidarity with Dr. Louks @allylouks.bsky.social, I’m sharing my photo and dissertation abstract. As a STEM PhD, I stand with humanities scholars whose work is often unfairly dismissed. Rigorous research, whether in literature or chemistry, drives understanding and innovation. #PhDinSolidarity
Joseph Thiebes holding a hardcover copy of his dissertation titled “Developments in Time-Resolved Microscopic Characterization of Excited State Dynamics in Semiconducting Materials.” He is wearing a green button-up shirt with a cerise collar visible underneath, standing in front of a stone fireplace and a window with a curtain. The abstract of Joseph Thiebes’ PhD dissertation titled “Developments in Time-Resolved Microscopic Characterization of Excited State Dynamics in Semiconducting Materials.” The abstract can be summarized as follows: Nanocrystal solids and lamellar materials are vital for technologies like solar cells, LEDs, and quantum communication. This work uses time-resolved microscopy to study how material properties—such as ligands and lattice defects—affect excited state dynamics. Key findings include how ligand structure influences diffusion, how defects in bismuth oxybromide enhance charge separation, and how noise impacts diffusion measurements, explored through simulations and open-source tools. These insights advance the understanding of energy transport in semiconductors.
December 4, 2024 at 1:47 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
This is the drug shortage database on semaglutide (dps.fda.gov/drugshortage...) screenshot from right now. What is your source of info?
Screenshot from the FDA Drug Shortages website showing information about the current shortage of semaglutide injection. The heading reads ‘FDA Drug Shortages.’ Below it, the title states ‘Current and Resolved Drug Shortages and Discontinuations Reported to FDA.’ The text highlights semaglutide injection with the status ‘Currently in Shortage,’ which is highlighted in yellow. The date first posted is 08/23/2022, and the therapeutic category is listed as ‘Endocrinology/Metabolism.’
November 30, 2024 at 8:19 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Saying it absorbs heat like a black t-shirt is too simple. How is it like a black t-shirt if invisible?

Saying it absorbs infrared is better but misses key pt: CO2 absorbs specific bands of IR that water vapor *does not* absorb. See my pink annotation on plot from link: www.randombio.com/co2.html
The image displays the atmospheric absorption spectrum across different wavelengths, from ultraviolet to microwave. It is divided into three panels: 1. Top Panel: The total atmospheric absorption, shown as a black line, indicates high absorption in specific regions across the spectrum. 2. Middle Panel: Absorption contributions from O₂ and O₃ (oxygen and ozone), represented in red, highlight strong absorption in the ultraviolet and some infrared regions. 3. Bottom Panel: Absorption contributions from CO₂ (green) and H₂O (blue), with pink outlines marking CO₂ absorption regions that do not overlap with H₂O absorption. Wavelengths are measured in microns, with labels for ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, infrared, far-infrared, and microwave regions. The graph emphasizes how CO₂ contributes uniquely to atmospheric absorption in certain areas, distinct from H₂O.
November 25, 2024 at 3:23 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
A parody of Norman Rockwell’s ‘Freedom of Speech’ painting, showing a working-class man standing and speaking at a town meeting. The text ‘Everything is chemicals’ is humorously overlaid at the top of the image.
November 23, 2024 at 11:53 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
5yo’s triops unicorn cake!
A unicorn-themed birthday cake decorated with pastel swirls of pink, purple, and blue buttercream, topped with golden unicorn ears and a spiraled horn. The design includes three eyes drawn on the front, with sprinkles and candies accenting the buttercream.
November 18, 2024 at 10:03 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Nice example of Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin%...
Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds ripple across a clear blue sky, resembling ocean waves in the atmosphere. In the foreground, bare branches of a tree frame the scene.
November 13, 2024 at 5:58 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
You can very quickly and easily add ALT to an image with text in it. If you open the ALT editor and click these three little lines it will allow you to simply copy and paste the text into the field. Takes seconds!
You can very quickly and easily add ALT to an image with text in it. If you open the ALT editor and click these three little lines it will allow you to simply copy and paste the text into the field Takes seconds! - Screenshot of this text with the three lines on the lower right corner circled in red. You can very quickly and easily add ALT to an image with text in it. If you open the ALT editor and click these three little lines it will allow you to simply copy and paste the text into the field Takes seconds!
November 9, 2024 at 8:52 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Montana Science Center closed permanently today. We took the the kiddos for a final visit.

Many happy memories were made here, many minds inspired to seek truth and knowledge, many hearts encouraged to investigate and create.

Attached are a few photographs from the Light Lab.
Panoramic view inside the Light Lab at the Montana Science Center, showing visitors interacting with different light and optics exhibits. The space is sectioned into various activity areas with educational panels and hands-on displays including a large, illuminated, interactive optics bench and a color wall that changes hues. Wide panoramic view of the Light Lab exhibit space at the Montana Science Center. Various interactive displays and informational boards are seen with children and adults engaging with the exhibits. The interior is brightly lit with a mix of natural and colorful display lights, with a section of the room highlighted by a color wall that changes hues. Close-up of a young child adjusting controls on an interactive display about light frequency and speed at the Montana Science Center’s Light Lab. The display includes a physical setup showing a wave pattern with options to modify the speed and frequency via control dials. Child playing with a laser guitar exhibit at the Montana Science Center’s Light Lab. The guitar uses laser beams instead of strings, which, when interrupted by the child’s hand, produce musical notes, demonstrated on an adjacent digital screen.
September 25, 2024 at 4:01 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
If there was an Nobel Prize for science communication, I’d nominate Dr. Angela Collier for her video about who gets the Nobel Prize. @acollierastro.bsky.social

(Photo for interest/algo; link can be found in reply or you can Google it).
The cover image for a video by Angela Collier features a split screen. On the left, there is a vintage painting of Alfred Nobel sitting at a desk with scientific equipment, looking directly at the viewer. On the right, Angela Collier, a woman with brown hair and glasses, is looking towards the text above her, which reads “WHO GETS THE NOBEL PRIZE??” in bold green letters.
September 21, 2024 at 9:16 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #634,329!
A virtual certificate with text "Celebrating 10M users on Bluesky, #634,329, Joseph Thiebes, Ph.D. ‪@thiebes.bsky.social‬, joined on Aug 18, 2023"
September 21, 2024 at 9:12 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
Ph.Done. #chemsky
A cartoon image of Joseph Thiebes, smelling flowers in a summertime outdoor setting, with a smile on his face, eyes closed in serene bliss. The caption: “Ph.Done.”
July 26, 2024 at 6:08 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
For highly exothermic reactions:
May 27, 2024 at 2:34 AM
thiebes.bsky.social
#aurora
A vibrant display of the aurora borealis stretches across the night sky, with swathes of green and purple light dancing overhead. On the right side of the image, the constellation Auriga stands next to moon.
May 11, 2024 at 3:59 PM
thiebes.bsky.social
My piece in the “Science as Art” exhibit at the Materials Research Society meeting. #S24MRS #matsky #chemsky
An image showing a printed photo on a background indicating exhibit #31. The photo shows CsPbBr3 perovskite microcrystals under cross-polarized light microscopy. The piece is titled “Butterfly Crystals.”
April 22, 2024 at 11:25 PM