Ilme Schlichting facts for kids
Ilme Schlichting (born March 8, 1960) is a German biophysicist. This means she is a scientist who uses the rules of physics to understand how living things work, especially at a very tiny, molecular level.
Ilme Schlichting's Scientific Journey
Ilme Schlichting started her studies in biology and physics at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. She studied there from 1979 to 1987. In 1990, she earned her PhD in biology from the same university.
After her PhD, Dr. Schlichting continued her research in the United States. She worked at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and at Brandeis University in Boston. She was a special researcher called a Feodor Lynen Fellow during this time.
From 1994 to 2001, she led a research group at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund. Since 2002, she has been the director of the Department for Biomolecular Mechanisms at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research.
Understanding Life's Tiny Building Blocks
Dr. Schlichting has spent her career studying the structure and function of biomolecules. These are the tiny molecules that make up living things, like proteins and DNA. She uses a method called protein crystallography. This technique helps scientists see the exact 3D shape of these molecules. Knowing their shape helps us understand how they work.
During her PhD, she made important discoveries about how enzymes work. Enzymes are special proteins that speed up chemical reactions in our bodies. She used a method called the Laue method to study how an enzyme's "switch function" works. This helped scientists better understand the Michaelis complex, which is a key part of how enzymes do their job.
More recently, Dr. Schlichting has been a leader in a new field called time-resolved protein crystallography. This advanced method uses powerful Free-electron lasers. It allows scientists to watch molecules change their shape very quickly, almost like a super-fast movie. This helps us see how molecules move and react in real-time.
Awards and Recognition
Ilme Schlichting has received many important awards for her scientific work:
- Feodor Lynen Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 1990
- Karl Lohmann Prize, 1991
- Otto Hahn Medal, 1991
- Ernst Schering Prize, 1998
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, 2000
- Member of the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, 2003
- Carus Medal, 2003
- Fellow of the American Physical Society, 2003
- Cross of Merit of Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2008
- Spiers Memorial Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2018
