Benjamin Palmer

2025 Israel Award Winner — Faculty

Benjamin Palmer

Current Position:
Nahum Guzik Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry

Institution:
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Discipline:
Biochemistry & Structural Biology

Recognized for: Pioneering research on how organisms create crystals, revealing the biological processes underlying their formation and the unique ways they interact with light, leading to the emerging field of ‘organic biomineralization’ and inspiring sustainable optical materials.

Areas of Research Interest and Expertise: Bio-crystallization, Bio-inspired materials, Biological optics, Molecular crystals, Cryo-electron microscopy

Previous Positions:

  • MChem in Chemistry, Cardiff University, U.K
  • PhD in Chemistry, Cardiff University, U.K. (Advisor: Prof. Kenneth Harris) 
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Swansea University/Texas A&M, U.K./USA (Advisor: Prof. Steve Wilks)  
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Weizmann Institute of Science (Advisors: Prof. Lia Addadi and Prof. Steve Weiner)

Research Summary:

Benjamin Palmer, PhD, explores how animals create optically functional organic crystals, inspiring the development of sustainable alternatives to toxic inorganic materials used in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The work has uncovered new classes of biogenic crystals with exceptional optical properties and elucidated the chemical strategies that organisms use to exquisitely control their structural properties. Palmer’s discoveries have led to the emergence of ‘organic biomineralization’ as a new field of chemistry, offering valuable insights for designing novel molecular crystals with advanced optical properties.

“This generous award recognizes the contribution of my team to a new field – organic biomineralization. This journey has shown how seemingly esoteric biological systems can teach us new and surprising principles in the chemistry and optics of crystals.”

Key Publications:

  1. K. Shavit, A. Wagner, L. Schertel, V. Farstey, D. Akkaynak, G. Zhang, A. Upcher, A. Sagi, V. J. Yallapragada, J. Haatja*, B. A. Palmer*. A Tunable Reflector Enabling Crustaceans to See but not be Seen. Science, 2023.
  2. T. Lemcoff, L. Alus, J. S. Haataja, A. Wagner, G. Zhang, M. J. Pavan, V. J. Yallapragada, S. Vignolini, D. Oron*, L. Schertel*, B. A. Palmer*. Brilliant Whiteness in Shrimp from Ultra-Thin Layers of Birefringent Nanospheres. Nature Photonics, 2023.
  3. A. Wagner, A. Upcher, R. Maria, T. Magnesen, E. Zelinger, G. Raposo, B. A. Palmer*. Macromolecular Sheets Direct the Morphology and Orientation of Plate-like Biogenic Guanine Crystals. Nature Communications, 2023.
  4. N. Pinsk, A. Wagner, L. Cohen, C. J. H. Smalley, C. E. Hughes, G. Zhang, M.J. Pavan, N. Casati, A. Jantschke, G. Goobes, K. D. M. Harris, B. A. Palmer*. Biogenic Guanine Crystals Are Solid Solutions of Guanine and Other Purine Metabolites. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2022.

Other Honors:

2024 Tenne Family Prize for Nanoscale Science, Israel Chemical Society 
2022 Toronto Prize for Research Excellence, Ben-Gurion University 
2022-2025 HFSP Research Grant 
2020-2026 European Research Council Starting Grant 
2019-2022 Azrieli Faculty Fellowship, Azrieli Foundation 
2019 ‘Nahum Guzik Presidential Recruit’, Ben-Gurion University 
2018 Feinberg Graduate School Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Postdoctoral Research, Weizmann Institute 
2015 Human Frontiers Science Program Cross-Disciplinary Fellowship 
2014 Koshland Prize, Weizmann Institute of Science

In the Media:

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