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Doug Rees is interested in the structure and function of metalloproteins and membrane proteins that participate in energy transduction, or conversion, pathways in biological processes. Using structural and functional approaches, Rees and his team are studying how the enzyme nitrogenase catalyzes the conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen to the metabolically usable form of ammonia during the process of biological nitrogen fixation. The team also studies how transporter proteins can selectively facilitate the movement of nutrients and other molecules across the membranes that separate cells from the surrounding environment.