Dr. William F. Martin is a distinguished molecular biologist and global leader in evolutionary research, currently serving as Professor of Molecular Evolution and Director of the Institute for Molecular Evolution at Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf. Born in Bethesda, Maryland in 1957, he completed his doctoral studies in genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne under the supervision of Heinz Saedler, earning his PhD in 1988. Following his doctorate, he spent a decade conducting research with Rüdiger Cerff at the Technical University of Braunschweig, where he completed his habilitation in Botany in 1992. In 1999, Professor Martin accepted a prestigious C4 professorship at Düsseldorf, establishing himself as a central figure in Germany's scientific landscape with his appointment to the Chair of Ecological Plant Physiology, which was later renamed to Molecular Evolution in 2011.
Professor Martin is internationally renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding the evolutionary origins of eukaryotic cells, most notably through his co-authorship of the seminal "Hydrogen hypothesis for the first eukaryote" published in 1998 with Miklós Müller. This revolutionary theory proposed that an archaeal host cell engulfed a hydrogen-producing bacterium, fundamentally reshaping scientific understanding of endosymbiosis and the emergence of complex life. His extensive research portfolio spans the evolution of the Calvin cycle, plastid development, and mitochondrial-like organelles, with his work cited nearly 50,000 times and earning him an impressive h-index of 106. Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science in 2019, his collaborative investigations with NASA's Michael J. Russell have significantly advanced our comprehension of the geochemical processes underpinning cellular origins and metabolic pathways.
The profound impact of Professor Martin's scholarship is further evidenced by his election to prestigious academies including the European Molecular Biology Organization, the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy for Microbiology. In 2020, he received the esteemed Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Medal from the Leibniz Society of Sciences in Berlin, honoring his transformative contributions to cell evolution and the study of life's origins. Leading a dynamic research group at Düsseldorf, he continues to pioneer new approaches to evolutionary questions, employing both laboratory experiments and sophisticated bioinformatic techniques to unravel the mysteries of early biological systems. With over fifty doctoral students mentored to completion since his habilitation, Professor Martin remains at the forefront of molecular evolution research, guiding the next generation of scientists as they explore the deepest questions about life's evolutionary journey from its simplest beginnings to the complex organisms that populate our planet today.
