Conference Description
With the dual challenges of sustainable food production and the disruptions of climate change, advancing our understanding of photosynthesis remains critical. Photosynthesis research also presents a variety of fundamental challenges from the physics of solar energy capture to the biological evolution of diverse energy transduction mechanisms. This meeting will highlight progress in photosynthesis research recently facilitated by technical advances in areas ranging from molecular genetics, such as genome editing, to advanced physical approaches such as serial x-ray crystallography and cryoEM. We will see how these have enabled the increased understanding of photosynthetic structure and function at scales ranging from the atomic to cellular levels.
Photosynthesis GRC represents a unique opportunity to facilitate intense and productive communication between researchers from multiple disciplines, all sharing a common interest in photosynthesis. Given the interdisciplinary nature of photosynthesis research, the invited speakers will represent a diverse array of scientific approaches aimed understanding key aspects of photosynthesis. To ensure the fruitful exchange among the diverse group of attending scientists, the 2021 Photosynthesis GRC will, as with its predecessors, encourage the presentation of unpublished, exciting data. The aim is to promote collegial interactions among participants with open discussion joining young talented scientists with those who are more ‘seasoned’, and to create opportunities for informal and lively gatherings in the afternoons and evenings. 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 scheduled throughout the conference.