Poolman, Prof. Bert
It is one of the most fundamental questions in science: how can lifeless molecules come together to form a living cell? Bert Poolman, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Groningen, has been working on this problem for over twenty years. He aims to understand life by trying to reconstruct it; he is building simplified artificial versions of biological systems that can be used as components for a synthetic cell.
Poolman was trained in bioenergetics and microbiology and moved to biochemistry and biophysics in later years. Central questions in his research are: How do molecules permeate biological membranes and how can one control solute fluxes? Throughout his career, he has made seminal contributions to the understanding of the dynamics and permeability of biological membranes and to the field of vectorial biochemistry, i.e. the role of electrochemical gradients in the fuelling and regulation of membrane transport. Poolman has a leading record in the energetics of membrane transport and cellular osmoregulation as well as the development of innovative technologies in membrane reconstitution.
In 2015 Poolman was awarded a European ERC Advanced Grant of 2,5 million euros for his project 'ABCVolume: The ABC of Cell Volume Regulation'. In 2024 he was awarded a European Synergy Grant of 5 million euros to design reaction networks for recycling of metabolic energy, production of cell building blocks and the construction of a minimal cell division system.
Poolman is program director of the Centre for Synthetic Biology. He has published over 270 articles in international peer-refereed scientific journals and supervised over 65 PhD students. He has been a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) since 2009.
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| Last modified: | 05 November 2024 1.32 p.m. |