Martin Walsh
About Martin Walsh
Martin Walsh serves as the Deputy Director of Life Sciences at Diamond Light Source and has a robust background in structural biology, with over 20 years as a principal investigator at synchrotron facilities. He has made significant contributions to understanding bacterial pathogens and has been recognized with an OBE for his scientific services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Work at Diamond Light Source
Martin Walsh has been serving as the Deputy Director of Life Sciences at Diamond Light Source since 2018. In this role, he oversees various activities related to life sciences, including X-ray crystallography and CryoEM/CryoET. He previously held the position of Life Sciences Coordinator at the same institution from 2009 to 2018. His work involves the application of structural biology techniques to study bacterial respiratory pathogens at the molecular level. Walsh has also contributed to the development of methodologies and instrumentation to enhance macromolecular crystallography.
Education and Expertise
Martin Walsh earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Galway, completing his studies from 1985 to 1989. He later pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Protein Crystallography at the same university, which he completed from 1989 to 1994. His expertise spans various aspects of structural biology, with a focus on bacterial adherence, biofilms, and structure-based drug discovery. He has been a principal investigator for over 20 years, leading research funded by organizations such as the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council.
Background
Before joining Diamond Light Source, Martin Walsh held several significant positions in research institutions. He worked at IRBM in Rome as a Research Scientist and later as a Senior Research Scientist. He also served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at EMBL in Germany and Argonne National Laboratory in the United States. His extensive experience includes a long tenure at EMBL as a Visiting Scientist. Walsh has collaborated with international scientific communities across multiple countries, including Germany, Sweden, and the United States.
Achievements
Martin Walsh has made substantial contributions to the field of structural biology, with over 800 structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). He has secured over €30 million in funding as a senior principal investigator in trans-European research projects since 2001. His research during the COVID-19 pandemic focused on structure-based drug discovery related to SARS-CoV-2. In recognition of his services to science, he was honored as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in June 2023.
Research Contributions
Martin Walsh has been involved in significant research initiatives, including the ASAP project, which is part of the Antiviral Drug Discovery Center for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern funded by NIAID. He has played a key role in the development of hardware and software for Serial Femtosecond Crystallography (SFX) and has contributed to the UK XFEL Hub. His leadership extends to overseeing activities in various advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques at Diamond Light Source.