Rate My Professor Julian Eaton-Rye

Professor Julian Eaton-Rye is Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago. He earned his BSc from the University of Manchester and PhD from the University of Illinois. Eaton-Rye's laboratory focuses on structure-function studies of Photosystem II in plants and cyanobacteria. His research examines protein-protein interactions critical for sustained water-splitting activity under fluctuating environmental conditions including light, temperature, and pH. Investigations also cover protein factors in Photosystem II assembly and metabolic engineering strategies to link light harvesting with biofuel production in cyanobacteria. As Programme Director for Plant Biotechnology, he contributes to teaching and supervision in this area.

Eaton-Rye has published extensively on photosynthesis, with key works including the highly cited review 'Manganese compounds as water-oxidizing catalysts: from the natural water-oxidizing complex to nanosized manganese oxide structures' (Chemical Reviews, 2016), 'The extrinsic proteins of Photosystem II' (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta-Bioenergetics, 2012), and 'Photosystem II and the unique role of bicarbonate: a historical perspective' (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta-Bioenergetics, 2012). He co-edited the book 'Photosynthesis: plastid biology, energy conversion and carbon assimilation' (2011). Recent publications feature studies on the D2-Arg265 in the quinone-Fe-bicarbonate complex (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: Bioenergetics, 2026), CP43:Phe345's role in oxygen evolution (Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications, 2026), and PsbE:Phe10 in high-light stress response (Physiologia Plantarum, 2025). In 2020, he won the New Zealand Journal of Botany annual prize. Eaton-Rye has served as an officer in the International Society for Photosynthesis Research and guest-edited special issues honoring photosynthesis researchers. His public outreach includes the Inaugural Professorial Lecture 'how plants use sunlight to give us oxygen, food and fuel' (2014), radio interviews on RNZ and ABC, and features in the New Zealand Herald.