Research

Our research is broadly focused on the mechanisms of large macromolecular assemblies studied by interdisciplinary approach, largely as a collaborative effort with emphasis on novel techniques such as single molecule spectroscopy, native mass spectrometry, electron cryo-microscopy and emphasizing quantitative link of experimental results with theory, namely molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemistry.   



The research is divided into five broad areas:

  1. Technology development for single molecule imaging – pulsed interleaved excitation confocal setup, correlation spectroscopy, TIRF-AFM imaging, single particle reconstruction by cryo-EM
  2. Following structural changes by native mass spectrometry and hydrogen-deuterium exchange – detection of fast exchange kinetics, native stoichiometry, complex assembly pathways
  3. Excitonic nanostructures for photonic applications – green photosynthetic bacteria, plants and their pigments, linking chlorophylls with quantum dots, self-assembling bacteriochlorophylls, chlorosomes   
  4. Structure of RNA and RNA virus assembly and replication – avian reovirus and viroplasms
  5. Machines on genes – RAG recombinase 
  6. Dynamics of membrane complexes – Sec YEG, pyrophosphatases