Paul Hargrave, Ph.D.

Francis N. Bullard Professor of Ophthalmology

College of Medicine

1998 Awardee

Paul Hargrave, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, has a reputation as a leading researcher in the biochemistry of the visual process that serves as a basis for understanding eye disease. Hargrave, who also is a member of the UF Brain Institute, joined the UF faculty in 1984.

He achieved eminence in the field of vision research by characterizing the chemical makeup of rhodopsin, a protein that plays a vital role in vision. Mutations of rhodopsin, located in the eye’s outer membrane, have been linked to certain inherited forms of eye disease, including retinitis pigmentosa. Characterizing the protein is the first step toward developing preventive therapies for these problems.

Hargrave is collaborating with researchers in Cambridge, England, to define the three-dimensional structure of rhodopsin and how it interacts with other proteins in the vision process. “Dr. Hargrave has a reputation as one of the world’s leading authorities in the biochemistry of retinal eye disease,” said Dr. Mark Sherwood, ophthalmology department chair. “He has developed an incredibly productive program at the University of Florida.”