Bonnie Murphy, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, has been awarded the Clara Immerwahr Award for her outstanding achievements in catalysis research.
In the short video, she discusses her research on protein structure analysis, the integration of biological and analytical electron microscopy techniques, the challenges and innovations in understanding protein function—particularly in climate-related processes—and what she enjoys most about her work.
Bonnie Murphy, born in Edmonton, Canada, completed her B.Sc. Joint Honours in Biology and Chemistry at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, and earned her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, UK, under the guidance of Professor Fraser Armstrong. In 2014, she worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the same university, and in 2016, she joined the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics as a Postdoctoral Research Associate under the mentorship of Werner Kühlbrandt.
Since 2019, Bonnie Murphy has led a Max Planck Research Group at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt.
Bonnie Murphy’s research focuses on uncovering the structure and mechanisms of proteins—particularly those of bioenergetic relevance—using single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) in combination with biochemical, molecular, and electrochemical techniques.
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Clara Immerwahr Award 2025
Bonnie Murphy, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany, honored for outstanding achievements in catalysis research
