Joachim Frank | |
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 Joachim Frank under Nobel Prize press conference in Stockholm, December 2017 | |
| Born | (1940-09-12)September 12, 1940 (age 85) |
| Citizenship | United States, Germany[1] |
| Education | University of Freiburg(BS) University of Munich(MS) Max Planck Society Technical University of Munich(PhD)Cornell University |
| Known for | Single-particlecryo-electron microscopy Ribosomestructure and dynamics |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Ze Frank & Mariel Frank |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Structural biology Cryo-electron microscopy |
| Institutions | University at Albany, Department of Biomedical Sciences Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics |
| Thesis | Untersuchungen von elektronenmikroskopischen Aufnahmen hoher Auflösung mit Bilddifferenz- und Rekonstruktionsverfahren (1970) |
| Doctoral advisor | Walter Hoppe |
| Other academic advisors | Robert Glaeser, Robert Nathan |
Joachim Frank (German pronunciation:[ˈjoːaxɪmˈfʁaŋk]ⓘ)HonFRMS; born September 12, 1940) is a German-Americanbiophysicist atColumbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particlecryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared theNobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 withJacques Dubochet andRichard Henderson.[2] He also made significant contributions to structure and function of theribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.
Frank was born inSiegen in the borough ofWeidenau. After completing his Vordiplom (B.S.) degree in physics at theUniversity of Freiburg (1963)[3] and hisDiplom underWalter Rollwagen's mentorship at theLudwig Maximilian University of Munich with the thesis "Untersuchung der Sekundärelektronen-Emission von Gold am Schmelzpunkt" (Investigation of secondary electron emission of gold at its melting point) (1967), Frank obtained his Ph.D. from theTechnical University of Munich for graduate studies inWalter Hoppe's lab at the Max Planck Institut für Eiweiss- und Lederforschung (nowMax Planck Institute of Biochemistry) with the dissertationUntersuchungen von elektronenmikroskopischen Aufnahmen hoher Auflösung mit Bilddifferenz- und Rekonstruktionsverfahren[4] (Investigations of high-resolution electron micrographs using image difference and reconstruction methods) (1970). The thesis explores the use of digital image processing and optical diffraction in the analysis of electron micrographs, and alignment of images using the cross-correlation function.
As aHarkness postdoctoral fellow, he had the opportunity to study for two years in the United States: with Robert Nathan at theJet Propulsion Laboratory,California Institute of Technology; withRobert M. Glaeser at Donner Lab,University of California, Berkeley and withBenjamin M. Siegel atCornell University, Ithaca, New York.[5][6][7] In the fall of 1972 he returned briefly to theMax Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried as research assistant, working on the theory of partial coherence in electron microscopy,[8] then, in 1973, he joined theCavendish Laboratory,University of Cambridge as Senior Research Assistant underVernon Ellis Cosslett.
In 1975 Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (nowWadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,[6][9] where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy.[10] In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of theUniversity at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work withRichard Henderson,Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council inCambridge and the other as aHumboldt Research Award winner withKenneth C. Holmes,Max Planck Institute for Medical Research inHeidelberg.[6] In 1998 Frank was appointed investigator of theHoward Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer atColumbia University, and he joinedColumbia University in 2008 as professor ofBiochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.
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including the Nobel Lecture on December 8, 2017Single-Particle Reconstruction – Story in a Sample| International | |
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