With this funding Prof. Joseph and his team will investigate how biomolecular machines transduce external perturbations into mechanical work during function under laboratory and cellular environments. To this end, they will develop and apply electron spin resonance spectroscopy based techniques combined with theoretical approaches. The research is expected to enable a deeper understanding on targeted control of directionality and reversibility of protein conformational changes for medical and industrial applications.

Benesh Joseph has been a Professor of Molecular Biophysics at the Physics Department of Free University of Berlin since March 2023. His research has been recognized with the Adolf-Messer Prize (2017), Young Investigator Award of the German Biophysical society (2018), Membership of the Johanna Quandt Young Academy at Goethe (2018) and the Emmy Noether Research Grant (2019).

About the Rise Up! Program

The Rise up! programme is aimed at outstanding and exceptionally creative basic scientists in biology, chemistry, and medicine who have accepted their first appointment to an associate professorship at a German university. With Rise up!, they can bring forward an especially innovative research programme that may have a lasting impact on their field.

About the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that is committed to the promotion of basic research in medicine, biology, chemistry, and pharmacy. Through its various activities, funding programmes, and scientific awards, the foundation strives to create the freedom and thus excellent research conditions enabling outstanding results in basic research. Through its funding programmes Plus 3, Exploration Grants and Rise up!, the foundation supports excellent scientists during critical stages of their careers.

Press-release of Freie Universität Berlin