Christopher Duffy

Dr. Christopher Duffy is a Senior Lecturer in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Director of Admissions at the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London. His research focuses on the intersection of theoretical physics and biology, particularly photosynthetic light-harvesting mechanisms. He explores how organisms efficiently harvest energy from light using quantum mechanical principles, with recent collaborations in astrobiology to investigate photosynthesis viability around non-Sun-like stars.

He leads the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology and contributes to the Centre for Biodiversity and Sustainability. His work includes computational modeling of light-harvesting systems and applying thermodynamics to predict extraterrestrial photosynthesis. Notable grants include a £161,373 Leverhulme Trust-funded project (2023-2026) exploring photosynthesis on alien worlds. Supervising PhD student Samir Chitnavis, Duffy’s lab investigates energy transfer dynamics and astrobiological implications of light-harvesting systems.

Key research themes include quantum effects in biological systems, photoprotection mechanisms, and interstellar light-harvesting potential. His interdisciplinary approach bridges physics, chemistry, and biology, with publications in journals like Science, Photosynthesis Research, and PLOS Computational Biology.