Oxygenic photosynthesis is at the heart of plant productivity.
It is the primary source of food and oxygen on our planet. Better understanding of photosynthesis is essential for meeting the food and environmental challenges of the future. Dr. Chitnis is studying the function, structure, and dynamics of photosystem I which is one of the two photosynthetic reaction centers in thylakoid membranes of plants, alga and cyanobacteria. I is a multiheteromeric complex containing pigments, redox centers, and proteins. It uses light energy to generate biological sources of reducing power.