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ERC starting grant for Roberta Croce
Roberta Croce is receiving an ERC Starting Grant of 1.7 million euro for research on molecular acclimation mechanisms in photosynthesis.
Life on earth is sustained by the process that converts sunlight energy into chemical energy: photosynthesis. It takes place in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria. These organisms are much more dynamic than we usually think they are and there are able to change their operational behavior on a time scales ranging from seconds to weeks. This dynamic behavior is of paramount importance for their performance and survival under varying natural conditions. How do the organisms respond to varying environmental conditions and how does this influence their photosynthetic performance? These are the central questions that Prof. Croce is trying to answer at the molecular level. Over the last years she has developed and optimized a range of methods that now allow her to take up this challenge. This involves a high level of integration of biological and physical approaches, ranging from plant and algae transformation to ultrafast spectroscopy. Understanding these processes will in the future help to increase the efficiency of food and biofuel production
