Recognizing Plant Physiology author Rameez Arshad

Rameez Arshad, first author of Revealing the architecture of the photosynthetic apparatus in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana 

Current Position: PhD candidate, University of Groningen, The Netherlands and Palacky University Olomouc, Czechia

Education: M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Genetics

Non-scientific interests: Landscape and astrophotography, nature walks, hiking, playing cricket.

Brief Bio:

I completed my master’s degree in Biochemistry from Government College University Lahore, Pakistan. Then I moved to Italy for joining an international course on molecular biology and genetics and worked in a structural biology lab for my thesis. After graduating, I was accepted for a joint Marie Curie PhD position in Prof. Egbert Boekema and Dr. Roman Kouril’s lab. With their extensive collaboration, I had the opportunity to gain skills from both labs located in different counties. My work is focused on understanding the structure and functions of photosynthetic supercomplexes under different environmental conditions. Using the high-end cryo-electron tomography we were able to reveal the remarkable diversity of light-harvesting antenna in a diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, as our work is featured in Plant Physiology. This continues to inspire me to investigate the structural characteristics of photosynthetic apparatus in other unique photosynthetic organisms.