Susanne von Caemmerer is a plant scientist at the Australian National University. She was born and grew up in Freiburg, West Germany, and travelled to Australia to attend the Australian National University for one year in 1973, where she studied mathematics and philosophy. Deciding to extend her stay she eventually settled in Canberra establishing both her career and a family.
Her early work contributed to the development of a biochemical model of photosynthesis (the Farquhar, von Caemmerer and Berry model of C3 photosynthesis) that has become a cornerstone of research into photosynthesis. She went on to develop an equally widely used model of C4 photosynthesis, common in tropical grasses and species such as maize and sugarcane.
In 2014 she was awarded the Charles F. Kettering Award for excellence in photosynthesis research by the American Society of Plant Biologists. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the German Academy of Science, Leopoldina. Her work continues to combine mathematical modeling of biochemical processes and the development of experimental approaches needed to apply these models.
Professional position
- Professor, Research School of Biology, Australian National University
Subject groups
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Earth and Environmental Sciences
Agricultural and forest science
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Patterns in Populations
Biological modelling, Plant sciences / botany
