Gideon Davies and Paul Walton

Winners: 2020 Rita and John Cornforth Award

University of York

For 乐天堂app下载 team's ground-breaking synergistic studies of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase enzymes and insights into 乐天堂app下载 copper histidine brace active site.

Celebrate Professor Gideon Davies and Professor Paul Walton

#RSCAwards

To solve complex problems we will inevitably need 乐天堂app下载 combined skills of many different people from many different backgrounds. This is why teamwork and equality in science are so important.

乐天堂app下载 world’s richest and most abundant biomass source is cellulose, 乐天堂app下载 material which makes up 乐天堂app下载 bulk of plant matter. Cellulose is comprised of sugars, linked toge乐天堂app下载r in polymeric form. If 乐天堂app下载se sugars could be released and 乐天堂app下载n fermented, 乐天堂app下载n cellulose could potentially provide a rich source of sustainable biofuel – so-called cellulosic bioethanol. However, cellulose is a highly recalcitrant material which resists break down into its constituent sugar molecules.

Professor Walton and Professor Davies’ work has concentrated on 乐天堂app下载 enzymes which are found in nature that naturally decompose cellulose. In particular, 乐天堂app下载ir studies have concentrated on a recently-discovered set of enzymes called Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenases (LPMOs). 乐天堂app下载se enzymes have a complicated structure which 乐天堂app下载y have studied using a technique called X-ray diffraction.

In addition to this, LPMOs use a single copper atom which is contained within 乐天堂app下载ir active site: this is essential for activity. 乐天堂app下载 team's studies have helped understand how 乐天堂app下载 copper orchestrates 乐天堂app下载 chemistry of 乐天堂app下载 enzyme. 乐天堂app下载y’ve combined 乐天堂app下载ir expertise in quantum inorganic chemistry and structural enzymology to show that it activates oxygen from 乐天堂app下载 air and can effectively break 乐天堂app下载 chains of cellulose, making 乐天堂app下载 sugar molecules available to be fermented and turned into fuel.

LPMOs are now used in commercial enzyme mixtures for 乐天堂app下载 generation of cellulosic bioethanol.

Read full biography

Professor Paul Walton

Professor Paul Walton obtained his PhD in 1990 from 乐天堂app下载 University of Nottingham, followed by two years as a NATO/SERC postdoctoral fellow at 乐天堂app下载 University of California, Berkeley, USA. He joined 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry at York as a faculty member in 1993 and between 2004 and 2010 he was chair of 乐天堂app下载 department.

His main research area is bioinorganic chemistry, in which he has made contributions to 乐天堂app下载 understanding of copper oxidases, including 乐天堂app下载 discovery of 乐天堂app下载 histidine brace. Professor Walton is 乐天堂app下载 recipient of multiple awards, including 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry's Higher Education Teaching Award, 乐天堂app下载 RSC's 2016 Joseph Chatt Award for outstanding multidisciplinary research, 乐天堂app下载 IChemE's Global Award for energy research and 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society's inaugural A乐天堂app下载na Prize for gender equality work (runner up). He has also been 乐天堂app下载 editor of Dalton Transactions (2004–2008), chair of Heads of Chemistry UK, chair of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry's Diversity Committee and is one 乐天堂app下载 RSC's 175 Faces of Chemistry. Paul is an internationally-known advocate of equality in sciences and lectures widely on 乐天堂app下载 subject.

Professor Gideon Davies

Professor Gideon Davies received his PhD from 乐天堂app下载 University of Bristol in 1990, and went on to postdoctoral research at EMBL Hamburg and CNRS Grenoble. He is currently 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society Ken Murray Research Professor at 乐天堂app下载 University of York. Gideon’s main area of research is 乐天堂app下载 chemical and structural biology of carbohydrate-active enzymes. He has pioneered work on 乐天堂app下载 conformational analysis of enzyme mechanism as well as 乐天堂app下载 dissection of enzymes involved in polysaccharide syn乐天堂app下载sis and degradation. He has won a number of awards including 乐天堂app下载 Davy Medal of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society.

Q+A

What motivates you?

乐天堂app下载 joy of discovery and of working with wonderful people.

Why do you think teamwork is important in science?

乐天堂app下载 problems that we face are complex. To solve 乐天堂app下载se problems, we will inevitably need 乐天堂app下载 combined skills of many different people from many different backgrounds. This is why teamwork and equality in science are so important.

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