Arwen Pearson

Prof. Dr. Arwen Pearson serves as Group Leader of the Nanostructure and Solid State Physics Research Group at the University of Hamburg's Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics within the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences. She holds a professorship in Experimental Biophysics at the Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging.

Her research spans structural biology and biophysics with emphasis on X-ray crystallography, structural enzymology, and time-resolved serial synchrotron methods. Pearson investigates protein dynamics including molecular breathing phenomena, allosteric communication in enzymes, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Her work integrates structural, kinetic, and thermodynamic approaches to study enzyme function under physiological conditions.

Recent publications reveal strong focus on

• Time-resolved crystallography techniques for capturing biochemical movies
• Antibiotic resistance enzyme mechanisms
• SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibition
• Fluorescent protein photodynamics
• Protein crystallization methodologies

Her team develops innovative methods like the HARE (hit-and-return) and LAMA (liquid application) approaches to simplify time-resolved studies.

Scientific leadership includes:

• Professor of Experimental Biophysics at University of Hamburg (since 2014)
• Group leader within Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging
• Senior author on high-impact publications in Science, JACS, and Nature journals

Pearson mentors junior research groups (Schulz, Mehrabi, Thorn) focusing on infection research, antibiotic resistance, and protein dynamics. Her team utilizes advanced facilities including PETRA-III synchrotron and European XFEL.