Bill Rutherford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Rutherford
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Bill Rutherford in at the Royal Society admissions day in London, July 2014
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Alfred William Rutherford
2 January 1955 |
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| Thesis | Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of photosynthetic electron transport in purple bacteria (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor | Michael C.W. Evans |
Alfred William Rutherford, often called Bill Rutherford, is a famous scientist. He is a Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. He studies how plants use sunlight to make energy.
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Becoming a Scientist: Bill Rutherford's Education
Bill Rutherford went to school in Morpeth, England. He then studied Biochemistry at the University of Liverpool. In 1976, he earned his first degree there.
After that, he went to University College London. In 1979, he earned his PhD. His research focused on how tiny purple bacteria use light to create energy. This process is called photosynthetic electron transport.
Discovering How Plants Make Energy
Professor Rutherford's main research is about a special enzyme called Photosystem II. This enzyme is found in plants and helps them turn sunlight into energy. It also helps create the oxygen we breathe.
He studies how this enzyme works and how it has changed over time. Understanding Photosystem II is very important. It could help us find new ways to create clean solar fuel and energy.
His work has helped us understand how plants put energy into the biosphere. It also explains how they released oxygen into the atmosphere. This changed our planet a lot!
His research has received funding from important groups. These include the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Royal Society.
Awards and Special Honours
Professor Rutherford has received many awards for his important work. In 2014, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
His colleagues praised his work on Photosystem II. They said he helped us understand how this enzyme works. He showed that it has a similar basic structure to simpler bacteria.
He also received the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. In 2001, he won the Médaille d'argent from the Centre national de la recherche scientifique in France. He also became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization in 2001.
In 2013, he received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University in Sweden. This means they recognized his great contributions to science.
Bill Rutherford's Personal Life
Outside of science, Bill Rutherford enjoys music. He has been a member of two bands: The Baskervilles Blues Band and Baskerville Willy.
