Brooks H. Pate is a William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at the University of Virginia, and co-founder of BrightSpec. His group's research focuses on the development of instrumentation for molecular rotational resonance (MRR) spectroscopy in analytical, physical, and astronomical applications. He developed the chirped-pulse Fourier transform (CP-FT) technique, which dramatically increased the speed and sensitivity with which MRR spectra could be measured and has reinvigorated the field of molecular rotational spectroscopy. Professor Pate was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2001, is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and was named the University of Virginia Licensing and Ventures Group's Innovator of the Year in 2017. He has authored five patents on MRR instrumentation and measurement techniques.