Honorary doctorate 2019: Professor Dame Carol Robinson

Carol Robinson is a chemist who has pioneered the application of mass spectrometry techniques to solving problems in chemical biology. Her groundbreaking research on the three-dimensional structure of proteins in particular has demonstrated the power of such techniques in studying large molecular compounds.

Much of her research has involved pushing the limits of electrospray mass spectrometry, demonstrating that important complexes can be generated and studied in the gas phase. In addition to her contributions to the study of protein folding, Carol has conducted important work on ribosomes, molecular chaperones and, most recently, membrane proteins. She is also applying her pioneering methods in applications, for drug discovery, and holds several patents.

AU professor Poul Nissen has engaged in collaborations with Carol Robinson on the identification of bound lipids and cofactors of so-called P4-ATPase lipid flippases. These are essential enzymes that maintain a complex and asymmetric distribution of lipids in cell membranes of all eukaryotic cells. Carol Robinson represents new approaches and initiatives that may become of key importance to a proud research tradition at AU.

Read more about Carol Robinson and view her CV