James Barber (biochemist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Barber
FRS FRSC MAE
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| Born | 16 July 1940 |
| Died | 5 January 2020 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University College, Swansea University of East Anglia |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemist |
| Institutions | Imperial College London Polytechnic University of Turin Nanyang Technological University |
| Doctoral advisor | Jack Dainty |
| Doctoral students | James Robert Durrant |
James Barber (born July 16, 1940 – died January 5, 2020) was an important British scientist. He was a professor of biochemistry at Imperial College London. He also taught at the Polytechnic University of Turin in Italy and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He was known for his amazing work on how plants use sunlight to make energy.
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His School Days
Jim Barber went to Portsmouth Southern Grammar School for Boys. He then studied at University College, Swansea and the University of East Anglia. There, he earned his Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees.
His Research and Career
Jim Barber started working at Imperial College in 1968. He became a full professor there in 1979. He also led the Biochemistry Department for ten years.
Understanding Photosynthesis
Barber wrote over 650 research papers and edited 15 books. His main focus was studying photosynthesis. This is the amazing process plants use to turn sunlight into energy. He wanted to understand how plants do this.
He spent a lot of time studying something called Photosystem II. This is like a tiny biological machine inside plants. It uses light energy to split water. When water splits, it creates oxygen and other things plants need. In 2004, he showed the exact structure of this enzyme.
Making Energy Like Plants
Later in his career, Barber started looking at "artificial photosynthesis." This means trying to create technology that can make fuel using sunlight, just like plants do. He worked with other scientists to develop this new way to produce solar fuel. This work happened at the Solar Fuels Laboratory in Singapore and the Biosolar Laboratory in Italy.
Awards and Honours
Jim Barber received many awards for his important work. He was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1980. He also became a member of the Academia Europaea in 1989. In 2005, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
He also received special degrees from universities in Stockholm, Sweden, and Singapore. He won the Flintoff Medal in 2002 and the ENI award in 2005. These awards recognized his great contributions to science and energy research. He also received the Porter Medal in 2016 for his work in photochemistry.
From 2007 to 2010, he was the President of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research. This shows how respected he was in his field.
