Neil Hunter

Professor Neil Hunter FRS is the Krebs Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences. His career spans over four decades, with key roles including Professor (1993–2008), Reader (1990–1993), and Senior Lecturer (1988–1990) at the University of Sheffield, and earlier positions at Imperial College London and Rutgers University. He leads research on photosynthesis, focusing on chlorophyll biosynthesis, light-harvesting complex assembly, and photosynthetic membrane organization. His work integrates molecular genetics, structural biology (e.g., cryo-EM), and nanotechnology to understand energy conversion in photosynthetic systems.

Research Interests: Dr. Hunter’s lab investigates chlorophyll biosynthesis pathways, engineering light-harvesting complexes, and membrane organization using atomic force microscopy and cryo-EM. Projects include metabolic engineering of E. coli to produce chlorophyll, bionanotechnology for artificial photosynthetic systems, and collaborations on computational modeling of photosynthetic membranes.

Publications: Over 200 peer-reviewed articles, including recent work on reaction center-LH1 complex structures (2023), perovskite solar cell manufacturing (2025), and CO₂-fixing bacteria (2022). His research bridges fundamental biology and applied technologies like bio-inspired energy systems.

Achievements: Awarded Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) for contributions to photosynthesis research. Collaborates globally with institutions in the UK, Europe, the U.S., and China on structural biology and synthetic biology projects.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Sheffield Photosynthesis Research group, focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to photosynthetic systems. Active in initiatives like the PhotoRedesign consortium to redesign photosynthetic light reactions.