Christopher Gisriel, an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, has received a 2025 Early Career Research Program Award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The one million dollar award will support the Gisriel Lab’s exploration of fundamental questions about how and why some organisms can use far red light for photosynthesis.
“It is a massive honor to receive this award,” says Gisriel. “I’m honored to bring competitive research on photosynthetic systems to the department.” The award recognizes tenure-track researchers who are driving innovative research in basic science and who are within ten years of earning their doctoral degree.
The trees, shrubs, crops and other plants you commonly see photosynthesize using visible light (wavelengths of light between about 400 and 700 nanometers long that are visible to the human eye). Light can also be longer and shorter wavelengths, and photosynthetic microorganisms commonly use far-red light (about 700-800 nm, just before infrared light begins) for photosynthesis.
“Life as we understand it depends on photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is essentially the entry point for energy to get into our biosphere,” explains Gisriel. “Because of that, my lab wants to better understand the natural diversity of photosynthetic organisms.”
Photosynthetic organisms have specialized membranes — called thylakoid membranes — that hold the protein complexes and chlorophyll (a green pigment that can capture energy from light) needed for photosynthesis. The Gisriel Lab will use biomolecular imaging techniques including x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy to investigate the structures of proteins and pigments found in the thylakoid membranes of photosynthetic microorganisms.
“We’re very lucky here at UW–Madison, there are world-class resources for scientists studying structural biology. Thanks to the UW–Madison Cryo-EM Research Center, my lab has access to a lot of specialized expertise and instrumentation,” says Gisriel.
While his research addresses basic scientific questions about photosynthesis, Gisriel says that the information gathered can be applied to plant breeding in agricultural settings. “Someday, we might be able to engineer crops that are able to use an extended light wavelength spectrum. That would mean that crops could be able to grow well and produce more biomass in shady environments where they wouldn’t previously be able to grow,” he says.
Written by Renata Solan.