Shining a Light on Bioenergetics – with Professor Rutherford
Event Location:
Skempton Building South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BX
public in-person lecture
Energy flows in the biosphere: molecular bioenergetics of photosynthesis.
Professor A. W. Rutherford FRS - Royal Society Research Professor, Chair of Biochemistry of Solar Energy, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London.
Sunlight provides the energy for life through the process of photosynthesis. It takes CO2 molecules out of the atmosphere to make the carbon polymers that are the fuels and building blocks of living things. The electrons required to string together the carbon atoms in the polymers are taken from water and the oxygen released energises the atmosphere, allowing complex life to evolve.
Much of the biomass was sequestered in rocks, lowering atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and establishing a climate on this planet appropriate for the current inhabitants. Humankind has caused the climate crisis by reversing photosynthesis due to an over-enthusiasm for combustion.
Because of the poor efficiency of photosynthesis, biofuels cannot replace fossil fuels. However, by doing research on photosynthesis and energy flows in biology in general (bioenergetics), we can 1) better understand one of the fundamental aspects of life; 2) improve aspects of photosynthesis for more efficient food production; 3) learn lessons from nature to improve the design of solar cells and other light-driven technologies, and iv) provide informed policy advice to help legislators mitigate, rather than exacerbate, climate change.
Most of Professor Rutherford's research has fallen into category 1 above, but it has occasionally contributed to the other points too. In this lecture he will talk about some basics, some surprises old and new, and some popular misconceptions that have occupied him and his team over the years.
Professor Rutherford FRS is a field leader in photosynthetic bioenergetics, focusing on photochemical reaction centres and water oxidation. Evolutionary thinking has given him an edge when interpreting ambiguous biophysical data. He has produced discoveries and concepts vital to the field.
He did Biochemistry at Liverpool University, a PhD at UCL, post-doctoral work at University of Illinois (USA), Riken (Saitama, Japan) and CEA-Saclay, (France) before joining the CNRS (France). In 2011, he moved to Imperial College.
He has been awarded several honours including, being elected EMBO member, Fellow of the Royal Society, President of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research, being awarded the Medaille d ’Argent du CNRS, an Honorary Doctorat in Chemistry of Uppsala University Sweden, the Keilin Award from the Biochemical Society, the Craig Professorship of Chemistry at the Australian National University.
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The location for this event is the Skempton Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, SW7 2BX. Nearer the time you will be sent an email with the specific lecture theatre. The event will finish around 8.20pm and then refreshments will be available for Friends networking.
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