Wolfgang Junge
Physicist Wolfgang Junge was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin.
Feb 09, 2015
Prof. Wolfgang Junge with honorary doctorate. At right: Peter Lange, Freie Universität’s Director of Administration and Finance; Prof. Robert Bittl, Dean, Dept. of Physics; Prof. Joachim Heberle (far left), Institute of Experimental Physics.
Image Credit: Marina Kosmalla
The keynote address was delivered by Professor Menachem Gutman from Tel Aviv University.
Image Credit: Marina Kosmalla
The Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin granted an honorary doctorate to Professor Wolfgang Junge in recognition of his outstanding achievements in biophysics.
A native of Berlin, Wolfgang Junge majored in physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering and became well-known for his outstanding contributions to the study of bioenergetic processes that are essential for life on Earth: photosynthesis in plants and the production of ATP, which transports chemical energy within all cells and is crucial for metabolism.
Besides Junge's pioneering works on the role of protons in photosynthesis, he provided pivotal contributions to the elucidation of the rotary mechanism of ATP synthesis by the Fo/F1 ATP-Synthase of chloroplasts and mitochondria. Junge's work is an essential foundation for the research being done at the Collaborative Research Center, SFB 1078, for Protonation Dynamics in Protein Function.