Karplus | Biophysical chemistry

Martin Karplus, associate professor and director of a joint University of Strasbourg-CNRS research unit, as well as professor at Harvard University, is one of three scientists awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on the computer modelling of chemical reactions.

Martin Karplus has made significant contributions in many areas of physical chemistry: nuclear magnetic resonance, chemical dynamics, quantum chemistry and, in particular, molecular dynamics with simulations of biological macromolecules.

In nuclear magnetic resonance, he has made a variety of contributions, particularly in understanding nuclear spin-spin couplings and electron paramagnetic resonance. He published an equation, which later became known as the Karplus equation, describing the relationship between 3-bond proton-proton coupling constants and dihedral angles in nuclear magnetic resonance. This equation made it possible to correlate the observations of this spectroscopy with molecular structure.

With Andrew McCammon and Bruce Gelin, he published the first molecular dynamics simulation of a protein.

Between 1992 and 1995, Martin Karplus spent several months in Jean-François Lefèvre's nuclear magnetic resonance laboratory at the University of Strasbourg. Since 1995, he has held a chair at the University of Strasbourg at the initiative of Jean-Marie Lehn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Martin Karplus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2013, along with Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel.