Rate My Professor Petra Fromme

Fromme is internationally recognized as a leader in photosynthesis, protein macromolecular crystallography using synchrotrons, and serial femtosecond nanocrystallography using X-ray free-electron lasers. Her research elucidates structure-to-function relationships of membrane proteins in bioenergy conversion, including photosystems I and II and ATP synthase, as well as those in infectious diseases. She pioneered serial femtosecond crystallography techniques, allowing room-temperature, radiation-damage-free molecular movies of biomolecules. Key publications include “Three-dimensional structure of cyanobacterial photosystem I at 2.5 Å resolution” (Nature, 2001), “Crystal structure of photosystem II from Synechococcus elongatus at 3.8 Å resolution” (Nature, 2001), and “Femtosecond X-ray protein nanocrystallography” (Nature, 2011). Having authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, her contributions have transformed structural biology with applications in bioenergy, biomedicine, and materials science. Honors include the Joachim-Tiburtius Award (1989), Robin Hill Award (2001), Christian B. Anfinsen Award (2021), and election to the AIMBE College of Fellows (2024). Fromme has served on NIH study sections and international advisory boards.