Taking lessons from nature on how to use solar energy

Supervisor:

• Muhamed Amin

Sunlight is one of the most important renewable energy sources on earth (~3,850,000 exajoules/year).

A multi-subunit protein complex called Photosystem ΙΙ occurs in the thylakoid membranes of higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, where it converts light energy in the visible wavelength region into redox energy that catalyzes the oxidation of water. Photosystem II is more efficient and economical at employing solar energy than any artificial system built so far. Despite significant contributions from experiments such as X-ray and X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) crystallography, and theoretical studies dominated by quantum mechanical (QM) calculations, the exact reaction mechanism remains obscure.

The students will work on using machine learning and computational methods to simulate the chemical reactions. The students will need to get into many fields to address the problem (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science).