The award will support the 2023 Gordon Research Conference on Photosynthesis. The theme for the conference: Photosynthetic Mechanisms: From Molecular Structure-Function to Systems Integration, reflects the current situation in the field where there appears to be an emerging nexus of two main currents of scientific thinking: the analytic approach of defining life mechanisms down to the level of atomic structure and molecular interactions, on the one hand, and the synthetic approach of connecting the dots and understanding how the parts fit together to make a systemic whole. This is embodied by recent developments ranging from the ability to capture snapshots of dynamical structures (e.g. serial x ray crystallography or cryo-EM of macromolecular assembly intermediates), on the one hand, and computational and modeling approaches to that allow simulations of enzyme mechanisms and integration of complex datasets, on the other. Together, this analysis and integration of photosynthetic processes is providing deep insight in ways that connect our models with experimental observations and for phenomena ranging from proton transfers in photobiooenergetics to metabolic fluxes giving rise to light driven biomass accumulation.

Invited speakers represent a diverse array of scientific approaches aimed at understanding key aspects of photosynthesis. Graduate students and postdocs will have the opportunity to present their latest research findings and discuss their results with leaders in the field during highly interactive poster sessions schedule throughout the conference. The keynote session will be focused on advanced biophysical approaches for resolving molecular mechanisms of photosynthesis. A special session of the Conference will be devoted to short talks by junior scientists that have been selected for their exciting results given in the poster session. Overall, the diversity of topics and technical approaches will provide an extremely stimulating multidisciplinary environment for junior and senior scientists alike. Funds from this award will be used to support the participation of US-based graduate students, postdocs, and early career scientists at the assistant professor level or equivalent.