Background
Martin, William Frank was born on February 16, 1957 in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Son of Elby Dexter and Maxinne Lechleitner Martin.
Martin, William Frank was born on February 16, 1957 in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Son of Elby Dexter and Maxinne Lechleitner Martin.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, Martin was educated at Richland College, Dallas, Texas, and Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University. Martin"s Doctor of Philosophy is from Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung, Cologne, where he did postdoctoral research, followed by further postdoctoral work at Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, where he obtained his Habilitation in 1992.
After working as a carpenter in Dallas, Martin moved to Hannover, Germany, and obtained his university Diploma from Technische Universität Hannover in 1985. In 1999, Martin became full (C4) professor at Universitaet Düsseldorf. Martin is a distinguished and sometimes controversial contributor to the field of molecular evolution.
He is known particularly for his work on the evolution of the Calvin cycle and plastids including chloroplasts, and, more generally, for contributions to understanding the origin and evolution of eukaryotic cells.
Martin is co-author, with Miklos Mueller of Rockefeller University, of the 1998 paper The Hydrogen hypothesis for the first eukaryote. A wealth of subsequent research papers include contributions, independently and with Michael J. Russell of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to understanding the geochemical origins of cells and their biochemical pathways.
2008 Elected Member of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Married Annette Martin-Eder, August 10, 2001. Children: Elby Abdreas, Anna Marlene.