Our aim is understanding the first moments of photosynthesis, the harvesting of energy by photosynthetic antenna complexes. Adopting a theoretical approach we try to understand what makes this process so efficient and yet adaptable to a light environment that fluctuates intensely and rapidly.
Our main focus concerns the complex roles played by the secondary photosynthetic pigments, the carotenoids, in photosynthetic light-harvesting.
We aim to establish a fundamental understanding of how these pigments facilitate efficient yet adaptable solar energy harvesting in natural systems and how these principles can be applied to artificial, hybrid and bio-inspired solar technology.