World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Dieter Oesterhelt

Dieter Oesterhelt

D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
111
Citations
44420
World Ranking
777
National Ranking
57

Dieter Oesterhelt publication distribution in Chemistry in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Chemistry in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Dieter Oesterhelt sits on this spectrum.

61–80 publications: 66 scientists 81–100 publications: 302 scientists 101–120 publications: 623 scientists 121–140 publications: 918 scientists 141–160 publications: 1,218 scientists 161–180 publications: 1,350 scientists 181–200 publications: 1,344 scientists 201–220 publications: 1,281 scientists 221–240 publications: 1,216 scientists 241–260 publications: 1,100 scientists 261–280 publications: 979 scientists 281–300 publications: 939 scientists 301–320 publications: 764 scientists 321–340 publications: 643 scientists 341–360 publications: 628 scientists 361–380 publications: 522 scientists 381–400 publications: 459 scientists 401–420 publications: 397 scientists 421–440 publications: 327 scientists 441–460 publications: 270 scientists 461–480 publications: 265 scientists 481–500 publications: 252 scientists 501–520 publications: 201 scientists 521–540 publications: 185 scientists 541–560 publications: 148 scientists 561–580 publications: 148 scientists 581–600 publications: 132 scientists 601–620 publications: 114 scientists 621–640 publications: 104 scientists 641–660 publications: 91 scientists 661–680 publications: 92 scientists 681–700 publications: 73 scientists 701–720 publications: 57 scientists 721–740 publications: 54 scientists 741–760 publications: 67 scientists 761–780 publications: 45 scientists 781–800 publications: 46 scientists 801–820 publications: 39 scientists 821–840 publications: 32 scientists 841–860 publications: 36 scientists 861–880 publications: 29 scientists 881–900 publications: 26 scientists 901–920 publications: 24 scientists 921–940 publications: 14 scientists 941–960 publications: 23 scientists 961–980 publications: 28 scientists 981–1,000 publications: 15 scientists 1,001–1,020 publications: 29 scientists 1,021–1,040 publications: 12 scientists 1,041–1,060 publications: 19 scientists 1,061–1,080 publications: 12 scientists 1,081–1,100 publications: 6 scientists 1,101–1,120 publications: 8 scientists 1,121–1,140 publications: 12 scientists 1,141–1,160 publications: 5 scientists 1,161–1,180 publications: 6 scientists 1,181–1,200 publications: 14 scientists 1,201–1,220 publications: 7 scientists 1,221–1,240 publications: 2 scientists 1,241–1,260 publications: 6 scientists 1,261–1,280 publications: 4 scientists 1,281–1,294 publications: 6 scientists 1,295+ publications: 100 scientists
61 publications 1,295+

This scientist: 542 publications — 91st percentile

91% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 1,295 publications or more.

Dieter Oesterhelt D-index placement in Chemistry in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Chemistry scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Dieter Oesterhelt sits on this spectrum.

40–41 D-Index: 289 scientists 42–43 D-Index: 612 scientists 44–45 D-Index: 808 scientists 46–47 D-Index: 776 scientists 48–49 D-Index: 835 scientists 50–51 D-Index: 861 scientists 52–53 D-Index: 872 scientists 54–55 D-Index: 933 scientists 56–57 D-Index: 1,051 scientists 58–59 D-Index: 930 scientists 60–61 D-Index: 882 scientists 62–63 D-Index: 834 scientists 64–65 D-Index: 731 scientists 66–67 D-Index: 775 scientists 68–69 D-Index: 683 scientists 70–71 D-Index: 646 scientists 72–73 D-Index: 561 scientists 74–75 D-Index: 501 scientists 76–77 D-Index: 437 scientists 78–79 D-Index: 388 scientists 80–81 D-Index: 354 scientists 82–83 D-Index: 292 scientists 84–85 D-Index: 275 scientists 86–87 D-Index: 254 scientists 88–89 D-Index: 235 scientists 90–91 D-Index: 185 scientists 92–93 D-Index: 192 scientists 94–95 D-Index: 155 scientists 96–97 D-Index: 163 scientists 98–99 D-Index: 125 scientists 100–101 D-Index: 105 scientists 102–103 D-Index: 105 scientists 104–105 D-Index: 112 scientists 106–107 D-Index: 88 scientists 108–109 D-Index: 68 scientists 110–111 D-Index: 69 scientists 112–113 D-Index: 65 scientists 114–115 D-Index: 79 scientists 116–117 D-Index: 61 scientists 118–119 D-Index: 44 scientists 120–121 D-Index: 37 scientists 122–123 D-Index: 40 scientists 124–125 D-Index: 33 scientists 126–127 D-Index: 26 scientists 128–129 D-Index: 34 scientists 130–131 D-Index: 35 scientists 132–133 D-Index: 25 scientists 134–135 D-Index: 27 scientists 136–137 D-Index: 17 scientists 138–139 D-Index: 16 scientists 140–141 D-Index: 20 scientists 142–143 D-Index: 20 scientists 144–145 D-Index: 15 scientists 146–147 D-Index: 9 scientists 148–149 D-Index: 9 scientists 150–151 D-Index: 16 scientists 152–153 D-Index: 11 scientists 154–155 D-Index: 9 scientists 156–157 D-Index: 3 scientists 158 D-Index: 3 scientists 159+ D-Index: 98 scientists
40 D-Index 159+

This scientist: 111 D-Index — 96th percentile

96% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 159 D-Index or more.

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2021 - Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Lasker Foundation
  • 2002 - Paul Karrer Gold Medal, University of Zurich
  • 1989 - Member of Academia Europaea
  • 1989 - German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Biochemistry and Biophysics
  • 1983 - Liebig-Denkmünze (Liebig Medal), Society of German Chemists
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts

Overview

Dieter Oesterhelt was affiliated with the Max Planck Society in Germany and contributed to research primarily within the field of Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology. Their scholarly output focused on various subfields, including Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, Genetics, and Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience.

The main topics that featured in their work were:

  • RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
  • Microbial Natural Products and Biosynthesis
  • Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
  • Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
  • Protein Structure and Dynamics
  • Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
  • Photoreceptor and optogenetics research

Oesterhelt's recent publications included:

  • "Analysis of the co-translational assembly of the fungal fatty acid synthase (FAS)", published in 2020 in Scientific Reports
  • "Structural insights into the mechanism of archaellar rotational switching", published in 2022 in Nature Communications

Their frequent co-authors were Martin Grininger, M. Dominik Fischer, Mirko Joppe, Barbara Mulinacci, and Ronnald Vollrath.

In addition to journal articles, Oesterhelt authored a book titled Leben mit Licht und Farbe: Ein biochemisches Gespräch [Life with Light and Colour: A Biochemical Conversation, German Language], published in 2022 by GNT-Verlag GmbH eBooks.

Oesterhelt was recognized by multiple awards and honors throughout their career, including:

  • Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Lasker Foundation (2021)
  • Paul Karrer Gold Medal, University of Zurich (2002)
  • Membership in Academia Europaea (1989)
  • Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina - Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina - Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften with a focus on Biochemistry and Biophysics (1989)
  • Liebig-Denkmünze (Liebig Medal), Society of German Chemists (1983)
  • Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)

Best Publications

  • Rhodopsin-like Protein from the Purple Membrane of Halobacterium halobium

    Dieter Oesterhelt;Dieter Oesterhelt;Walther Stoeckenius

  • Isolation of the cell membrane of Halobacterium halobium and its fractionation into red and purple membrane

    Dieter Oesterhelt;Walther Stoeckenius

  • Functions of a New Photoreceptor Membrane

    Dieter Oesterhelt;Walther Stoeckenius

  • Unfolding pathways of individual bacteriorhodopsins.

    F. Oesterhelt;D. Oesterhelt;M. Pfeiffer;Andreas Engel

  • Closing in on bacteriorhodopsin: progress in understanding the molecule.

    Ulrich Haupts;Jörg Tittor;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Structure of the Light-Driven Chloride Pump Halorhodopsin at 1.8 Å Resolution

    Michael Kolbe;Hüseyin Besir;Lars-Oliver Essen;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Lipid patches in membrane protein oligomers: Crystal structure of the bacteriorhodopsin-lipid complex

    L.-O. Essen;R. Siegert;W. D. Lehmann;D. Oesterhelt

  • Electron diffraction analysis of structural changes in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin.

    Sriram Subramaniam;Mark Gerstein;Dieter Oesterhelt;Richard Henderson

  • Bacteriorhodopsin: a biological material for information processing

    Dieter Oesterhelt;Christoph Bräuchle;Norbert Hampp

  • Role of aspartate-96 in proton translocation by bacteriorhodopsin.

    Klaus Gerwert;Benno Hess;Jorg Soppa;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Reversible photolysis of the purple complex in the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium.

    Dieter Oesterhelt;Benno Hess

  • Proton migration along the membrane surface and retarded surface to bulk transfer

    Joachim Heberle;Jens Riesle;Gerd Thiedemann;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse. Herausgeg. vonH.U.Bergmeyer. Verlag Chemie GmbH, Weinheim/Bergstr. 1970. 2. Aufl., LXIX, 2220 S., zahlr. Abb., geb. DM 285.—

    Feodor Lynen;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Reversible dissociation of the purple complex in bacteriorhodopsin and identification of 13-cis and all-trans-retinal as its chromophores.

    Dieter Oesterhelt;Marion Meentzen;Liselotte Schuhmann

  • The structure and mechanism of the family of retinal proteins from halophilic archaea.

    Dieter Oesterhelt

  • The 'light' and 'medium' subunits of the photosynthetic reaction centre from Rhodopseudomonas viridis: isolation of the genes, nucleotide and amino acid sequence.

    Hartmut Michel;Karl Aloys Weyer;H. Gruenberg;I. Dunger

  • Excited-state reaction dynamics of bacteriorhodopsin studied by femtosecond spectroscopy

    J. Dobler;Wolfgang Zinth;Wolfgang Kaiser;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Observation of a bacteriochlorophyll anion radical during the primary charge separation in a reaction center

    Wolfgang Holzapfel;Ulrich Finkele;Wolfgang Kaiser;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Aspartic acids 96 and 85 play a central role in the function of bacteriorhodopsin as a proton pump.

    Hans-Jürgen Butt;Klaus Fendler;Ernst Bamberg;Jörg Tittor

  • Initial electron-transfer in the reaction center from Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

    Wolfgang Holzapfel;Ulrich Finkele;Wolfgang Kaiser;Dieter Oesterhelt

  • Electron diffraction analysis ofstructural changesinthe photocycle ofbacteriorhodopsin

    Sriram Subramaniam;Dieter Oesterhelt

Frequent Co-Authors

Wolfgang Zinth
Wolfgang Zinth Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Josef Wachtveitl
Josef Wachtveitl Goethe University Frankfurt
Christoph Bräuchle
Christoph Bräuchle Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Luis Moroder
Luis Moroder Max Planck Society
Ernst Bamberg
Ernst Bamberg Max Planck Society
Giuseppe Zaccai
Giuseppe Zaccai Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS
Hartmut Michel
Hartmut Michel Max Planck Society
Peter Hegemann
Peter Hegemann Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Jörg Soppa
Jörg Soppa Goethe University Frankfurt
Stephan C. Schuster
Stephan C. Schuster Nanyang Technological University

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