Peter Wright (scientist) facts for kids

Peter Edwin Wright is a smart scientist from New Zealand. He uses a special method called NMR spectroscopy to study tiny parts of living things. He works as a professor at the Scripps Research Institute. He also helps lead a science magazine called the Journal of Molecular Biology.

Peter Wright's Early Life and Studies

Peter Wright grew up in New Zealand. He went to the University of Auckland for his college education. In 1968, he earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science. The next year, in 1969, he got his Master of Science degree.

He continued his studies and earned his PhD in chemistry in 1972. His PhD research looked at how metal ions (like tiny charged metal bits) act in special proteins called cuproproteins. These proteins contain copper and are important for many body functions.

Peter Wright's Work and Discoveries

After finishing his studies, Peter Wright worked at the University of Sydney in Australia. He was there from 1976 to 1984. Since 1984, he has been a scientist at the Scripps Research Institute in the United States.

Understanding Proteins and Enzymes

Dr. Wright's research focuses on how proteins work. Proteins are like tiny machines in our bodies that do many important jobs. He studies how these proteins change their shape, which is called conformational sampling. He believes these shape changes are very important for how enzymes (special proteins that speed up reactions) do their work.

He also studies intrinsically disordered proteins. These are proteins that don't have a fixed shape. Dr. Wright thinks their flexible nature is key to how they function. His ideas are different from another theory about how enzymes work, which is called electrostatic preorganization.

Peter Wright's Family Life

Peter Wright is married to Jane Dyson.