The Ruban Laboratory at the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London focuses on the molecular mechanisms of light energy utilisation and management in the photosynthetic membrane.

The major goal of the lab is to understand how biological matter is designed to conduct a variety of intimate physical processes accompanying photosynthetic energy conversion and how structural properties of the photosynthetic light harvesting proteins govern flexibility and efficiency of photosynthesis.

Alexander Ruban's research has contributed to the fundamental understanding of the molecular design of the photosynthetic light harvesting machinery, introducing the concepts of light adaptation 'memory' via the allosteric action of the xanthophyll cycle, robust genetic design of the light harvesting antenna, the structural dynamics of transmembrane pigment-proteins and how they are tuned by the polarity and structure of bound xanthophyll co-factors.

Recent advances include the discovery of the photoprotective molecular switch in the Photosystem II antenna which shortens the chlorophyll excited state lifetime protecting the thylakoid membrane from photo-oxidative damage.

The Ruban Laboratory employs the methodologies of plant physiology, biophysics, and biochemistry to unravel these problems.