Physical Biosciences Division One Stop
Adam Arkin, a leading authority on the evolutionary design principles of cellular networks and populations and their application to systems and synthetic biology, became the Director of the Lab’s Physical Biosciences Division (PBD) in May 2010. To read more about Adam Arkin, visit his PBD webpage.
PBD Leadership |
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Paul Adams is stepping down as Head of the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology (BCSB) after 7 years of leadership. In addition to his duties as PBD Deputy Division Director, Paul will be focusing his efforts on two new roles - ALS Division Deputy for Biosciences and Chair of the ALS Biosciences Council.
Nicholas Sauter, a computer staff scientist at Berkeley Lab, has been appointed as Acting Head of the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology (BCSB) by Physical Biosciences Division Director Adam Arkin, effective immediately. Sauter’s research focuses on the development of new computational methods that address problems in structural biology. More>
Brown Bag Series: Inorganic Nanoscale Assemblies for Artificial Photosynthesis
When: Tuesday, December 6th at noon
Where: Tan Hall Room 775 on UCB Campus
Featuring: Dr. Heinz Frei
Abstract:
Sunlight is an unlimited source of energy for converting carbon dioxide and water to a transportable fuel. In an effort to develop a system that generates renewable fuel using sunlight, we are developing an inorganic artificial assembly made of Earth abundant, robust materials. All-inorganic binuclear units anchored in a nanoporous silica scaffold serve as visible light absorbers driving catalysts for water oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction. Nano-structured Co oxide (Co3O4) or mixed-phase Mn oxide clusters inside the silica channels evolve oxygen from water efficiently. Structural and mechanistic studies of the photocatalytic units using optical, vibrational, EPR and X-ray spectroscopic tools provide key insights for advancing the design of the components and assembly of the system. Methods are explored for the efficient coupling of the photoactive components across a product-separating nanoscale membrane.
