David M. Kramer PhD, MS

David M. Kramer is the Hannah Distinguished Professor of Bioenergetics and Photosynthesis in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department and the MSU-Department of Energy Plant Research Lab at Michigan State University.

David M. Kramer's research seeks to understand how organisms harness energy from their environment to power life. Systems like mitochondria and chloroplasts have evolved diverse “redox strategies” that balance the need for efficient energy transduction with the avoidance of toxic side reactions. His research is catalyzed by the development of spectroscopic tools that enable his lab to probe energy-storing reactions both on isolated systems and in vivo, in the real world, followed by computational modeling to understand how the components of biophysical machinery work together.

Recently, the Kramer lab has extended this approach by developing a series of scientific platforms to probe specific biochemical reactions in living organisms, under conditions relevant to growth environments. These systems include the cloud-based open science PhotosynQ.org platform, which is being used by thousands of researchers in over 28 countries worldwide. These platforms are being used to demonstrate important mechanisms that are specifically observed under non-laboratory conditions, and point the way towards generating more productive plants.