The Britt research group is primarily interested in the application of pulsed EPR spectroscopy to investigate the nuclear and electronic spin environments of biologically signifcant metalloproteins, model compounds, and redox active organic radicals.
Photosynthesis is the major biologically oriented system currently under investigation.
Photosynthetic conversion of solar energy to useful chemical energy is the ultimate source of the vast majority of of the energy utilized in the earth's biosphere. Higher plant photosynthesis provides the food basis for both animal and plant life, and it also accounts for the production of the atmospheric molecular oxygen necessary for respiration-based life. Thus, increased understanding of the mechanisms of photosynthesis is important as the world faces further shortages of energy supplies and food resources, as well as the possibility of global climate changes triggered by the anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO2. Oxygen evolution occurs in the PSII component of plant photosynthesis. The oxygen-evolution process provides electrons that are shuttledto the the ferredoxin terminal electron acceptor of Photosystem I, ultimately to be used in reduction reactions such as carbon fixation.