Govindjee (born 24 October 1932) is an Indian-American scientist and educator. He is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Plant Biology at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

, where he taught from 1961 until 1999. As Professor Emeritus since 1999, Govindjee has continued to be active in the field of

photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...

through teaching and publishing. He is recognized internationally as a leading expert on photosynthesis.

Early life and education

Govindjee was born in

Allahabad, India Allahabad (), List of renamed Indian cities and states, officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut ...

. He is known only by a single name, as his family by tradition did not use a surname. At

University of Allahabad , mottoeng = "As Many Branches So Many Trees" , established = , type = Public , chancellor = Ashish Chauhan , vice_chancellor = Sangita Srivastava , head_label ...

, he received his B.Sc. in 1952 and his M.Sc. in 1954. He studied at

, earning his Ph.D. in 1960. He began his PhD work with Robert Emerson who discovered the Emerson effect. After Emerson died in a plane crash, Govindjee completed his PhD work in

biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

with

Eugene Rabinowitch Eugene Rabinowitch (1901–1973) was a Russian-born American biophysicist who is known for his work in photosynthesis and nuclear energy. He was a co-author of the Franck Report and a co-founder in 1945 of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' ...

. He has written about both Emerson and Rabinowitch.

Career

Govindjee has made pioneering contributions to the field of photosynthesis—focusing on the function of

Photosystem II Photosystem II (or water-plastoquinone oxidoreductase) is the first protein complex in the light-dependent reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis. It is located in the thylakoid membrane of plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Within the photosystem ...

. He showed, in 1960, the role of Chlorophyll ''a'' in

; pioneered the first picosecond measurements on

Photosystem I Photosystem I (PSI, or plastocyanin–ferredoxin oxidoreductase) is one of two photosystems in the photosynthetic light reactions of algae, plants, and cyanobacteria. Photosystem I is an integral membrane protein complex that uses ...

in 1978 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and then on Photosystem II in 1989 with Michael Wasielewski at Argonne National Laboratory. He is best known for establishing the unique role of bicarbonate in electron and proton transport in

. Govindjee has not only provided the first comprehensive theory of thermoluminescence in algae and plants, but has shown how prompt and delayed fluorescence of Chlorophyll a can be used as a signature of various reactions in photosynthesis. He is the founding Series Editor of the ''Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration'' as well as the Editor of ''Historical Corner'' of ''Photosynthesis Research''. He has written extensively on the topic of Photosynthesis, including on the role of chlorophyll in Photosynthesis, light absorption, excitation energy transfer, and how plants make oxygen.

Honors and awards

Govindjee is the recipient of several awards and honors. He was elected as a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

(AAAS) in 1976. In 1979, he was elected a Fellow and Life Member of the

National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, established in 1930, is the oldest science academy in India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu * Sudha Bhattacharya * Ch ...

. In 1981, he was elected President of the

American Society for Photobiology The American Society for Photobiology (ASP) is a scientific society for the promotion of research in photobiology, integration of different photobiology disciplines, dissemination of photobiology knowledge, and provides information on photobiologica ...

. He was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award from the Rebeiz Foundation for Basic Research, the 2007 Communication Award of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research, and the 2008 Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2013, in honor of his 80th birthday, a tribute to Govindjee's life's work in photosynthesis appeared in ''Photosynthesis Research''. In 2016, he received the Dr. B.M. Johri Memorial award of the Society for Plant Research, India. In 2018, Govindjee was elected as the Pravasi (Foreign) Fellow of the

National Academy of Agricultural Sciences The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) is a Government of India funded agency, established in 1990, is a research platform in the fields of crop husbandry, animal husbandry, fisheries and agro-forestry. It acts as a research base for ...

, India, and in honor of his 85th birthday, a special issue of ''Photosynthetica'' was released. In 2019, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign published an article on his research in

and his "Photosynthesis Museum". In 2020, Govindjee's innovative research and historical contributions, during 1999–2020, were highlighted, with messages and references to his work, from around the world.

Personal life

Govindjee and his wife, Rajni, came to the US separately in the mid-1950s and earned Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying under the same mentors.

References

External links

Govindjee's homepage
at University of Illinois *Sample publications/articles written by Govindjee: ** ** ** **Govindjee (March 2019).
A sixty-year tryst with photosynthesis and related processes: an informal personal perspective.
''Photosynthesis Research 139: 15-43.'' {{authority control Indian expatriates in the United States Indian biochemists University of Allahabad alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India 1932 births Living people American people of Indian descent 20th-century Indian botanists