BOUSSAC Alain

Alain Boussac, CNRS Research Director, is interested in the structural-functional relationships within the photosystem II (PS II) of chloroplasts, an essential complex for photosynthesis. understanding all the stages of the photosynthetic process from protein to the cell and then to the entire organism is crucial to addressing the problems associated with environmental change through the development of effective bio-inspired artificial systems in the production of carbon-free energy. The project of the team led by Alain Boussac consists in characterizing and understanding the stage of the reaction mechanism in which water is oxidized. The project involves biological, spectroscopic (mainly Electronic Paramagnetic Resonance) and thermodynamic approaches. Overall, this involves combining enzymology and spectroscopy with the production of modified enzymes either by directed mutagenesis or by biosynthetic or biochemical means. The project also involves collaborations with several laboratories, some of which are foreign, among the best in their field. The ultimate goal is to make a significant contribution to the field of bioenergy.