Bio

Martin Weik is a CEA research director at the Institut de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble, France. He leads the “Structural Protein Dynamics” research team and chairs the “Dynamics and Kinetics of Molecular Processes” group. His work focuses on the dynamics of proteins — how they move and change shape over time — and how these dynamics relate to their function. Light-sensitive proteins (photoreceptors and fluorescent proteins, for example) are studied using a variety of experimental biophysical methods, including time-resolved serial crystallography at X-ray free electron lasers and synchrotrons. His other research interests include investigating how hydration water (i.e. water molecules surrounding proteins) couples to the dynamics of proteins, fibrous aggregates or disordered regions, using techniques such as neutron spectroscopy. Many of the proteins studied have medical or biotechnological applications.
In addition to conducting research, Martin Weik teaches a master course on using X-ray and neutron scattering to study biomolecular structure and dynamics at the University of Parma, Italy. Between March and June 2026, he is a Fulbright–UGA Scholar, hosted by Professor Soichi Wakatsuki in the Department of Structural Biology at Stanford University.