“My lab is in the business of knowledge creation,” said David Beratan, R.J. Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.
“My lab is in the business of knowledge creation,” said David Beratan, R.J. Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. “Our tools are pencil, paper and computers.”
Beratan’s theoretical chemistry research group works closely with collaborators like Duke colleagues Michael Therien and Weitao Yang to realize ideas that come out of their research. “We're trying to understand how highly efficient biological energy systems work, so that our experimental collaborators can translate that knowledge into man-made structures that might provide new energy options,” Beratan said. “But we have to create knowledge first, before we can bring those ideas into service to humanity.”
All biological systems manipulate energy. Plants and other photosynthetic organisms use air and sunlight to make food. Animals don’t make their own food, but they are extremely efficient in extracting energy from the food they eat. Understanding how these biological systems convert energy from one source into another might show us better ways to produce the energy we need to power our world.
Read more at: Duke University
As a theoretical chemist, David Beratan’s tools are pencil, paper and computers. The research he conducts may lead to more efficient energy systems based on biological models. (Photo Credit: John West/Trinity Communications)
