معرفی
Robert L. Burnap is a Regents Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Oklahoma State University, where he conducts research on photosynthetic mechanisms and cyanobacterial systems with applications in sustainable energy technologies.
Education:
- Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan
- Master's in Biology from the University of California at Los Angeles
- Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara (thesis on evolution of oxygenic photosynthetic mechanism)
- Postdoctoral training at Purdue University (genetic manipulation of cyanobacteria and biophysical analysis of photosynthetic proteins)
Research Interests: Burnap's work focuses on the molecular mechanisms of photosynthetic water oxidation, CO2 uptake via powered-carbonic anhydrases in cyanobacteria, and integrative modeling of unicellular growth. His research integrates molecular genetics, biochemistry, and biophysics to address fundamental questions in solar energy conversion and carbon fixation, with direct relevance to developing Earth-friendly biotechnologies for renewable energy and atmospheric oxygen maintenance.
Scientific Awards:
- Einstein Fellowship in Germany for collaborative research
- NSF Recognition for leadership in 'Advancing the New Biology'
- NSF Recognition for co-development of US-UK Photosynthesis Ideas Lab
Grants and Advising: He leads two major externally funded projects: an NSF grant investigating photosynthetic water oxidation (light-driven water splitting) and a DOE grant studying cyanobacterial CO2 concentrating mechanisms. His laboratory trains undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers across interdisciplinary projects. He teaches Cell & Molecular Biology, Bioenergetics, and Principles of Bioinformatics - the latter having evolved from a graduate course to include equal undergraduate participation due to its relevance to genomics and cutting-edge biological research.
