معرفی
Neil Hunter is a Professor and Krebs Chair of Biochemistry at the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield. He holds honorary visiting professorships from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including positions at Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research focuses on photosynthetic complexes, chlorophyll biosynthesis, and nanotechnology applications derived from biological systems.
Education:
- PhD from the University of Bristol
- Postdoctoral fellowships at Rutgers University and Bristol University
Research Interests: Neil Hunter investigates the biosynthesis, assembly, and structure of photosynthetic complexes, particularly in bacteria, cyanobacteria, and plants. Key areas include chlorophyll synthesis pathways, cryo-EM structural analysis of complexes, and synthetic biology approaches to engineer light-powered cells for CO₂ sequestration and biofuel production. His work bridges biochemistry, genetics, and biophysics to understand energy conversion mechanisms in photosynthetic membranes.
Publications: Over 360 papers span genetic, biochemical, and biophysical studies of photosynthesis. Recent work emphasizes structural biology (e.g., cryo-EM of RC-LH1 complexes) and synthetic biology applications. His research has been supported by major grants from the ERC, BBSRC, and US Department of Energy.
Awards:
- Fellow of the Royal Society (2009)
- ERC Advanced Grant (2013–2018)
- ERC Synergy Award (2020–2026)
Grants & Advising: Long-term funding from BBSRC, ERC, and international collaborations. Supervised numerous students and postdocs in structural biology and synthetic biology projects. Active in interdisciplinary teams like the PhotoRedesign consortium.
Labs & Teams: Leads the University of Sheffield Photosynthesis Group, collaborating globally on projects ranging from chlorophyll engineering to artificial photosynthetic systems. Key partnerships include work with Klaus Schulten’s computational modeling team at the Beckman Institute.
