Bruce Fraser

Internationally recognised for his contributions to our knowledge of the structure of fibrous proteins, particularly of wool and other keratins. From the late 1940's, he has developed the application of physical techniques to the study of biological polymers, first with investigations on their infra-red dichroism where his contributions established the basis of current approaches to this problem. Subsequently he added to this by extensive application and elaboration of X-ray diffraction techniques to natural and synthetic polymers. In this latter field, he has made valuable contributions to both experimental and theoretical aspects of fibre diffraction patterns. In conjunction with these developments, he has extended the interpretation of the patterns and made valuable contributions to our understanding of the conformation and molecular structure of model synthetic peptides and of natural polypeptides. He is senior author of two recent books, both of which have been acclaimed as authoritative treatments of this subject. In the field of Keratin structure and in respect of wool he is an acknowledged leader.

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