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Chemistry
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Chemistry

D-Index
136
Citations
62777
World Ranking
245
National Ranking
117

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
141
Citations
70070
World Ranking
263
National Ranking
179

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Chemistry in United States Leader Award

Overview

John Ralph is affiliated with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in the United States. Their research primarily intersects multiple disciplines, including Engineering, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Agricultural and Biological Sciences. The scientist has a diverse and interdisciplinary research portfolio with a significant focus on biomedical engineering, molecular biology, plant science, biotechnology, and food science.

Their work covers a range of topics with a strong emphasis on lignin and wood chemistry, plant gene expression analysis, biofuel production and bioconversion, biochemical and biochemical processes, fermentation and sensory analysis, catalysis for biomass conversion, and enzyme-mediated dye degradation.

John Ralph has authored several papers published in reputable venues. Notable recent publications include:

  • "Guidelines for performing lignin-first biorefining," 2020, Energy & Environmental Science
  • "Lignin Monomers from beyond the Canonical Monolignol Biosynthetic Pathway: Another Brick in the Wall," 2020, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
  • "Selective lignin arylation for biomass fractionation and benign bisphenols," 2024, Nature
  • "Protection Strategies Enable Selective Conversion of Biomass," 2020, Angewandte Chemie International Edition
  • "NMR Database of Lignin and Cell Wall Model Compounds," 2024, OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)

Frequent coauthors in their research include Hoon Kim, Steven D. Karlen, Wout Boerjan, Fachuang Lu, and Ruben Vanholme. These collaborations reflect ongoing partnerships with researchers who have significant joint publication records.

John Ralph frequently publishes in several scientific venues, with particularly numerous contributions to PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, ChemSusChem, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Frontiers in Plant Science, and Green Chemistry.

Best Publications

  • Lignin biosynthesis.

    Unknown

  • Lignin Biosynthesis and Structure

    Ruben Vanholme;Brecht Demedts;Kris Morreel;John Ralph

  • Paving the Way for Lignin Valorisation: Recent Advances in Bioengineering, Biorefining and Catalysis.

    Roberto Rinaldi;Robin Jastrzebski;Matthew T. Clough;John Ralph

  • Lignins: Natural polymers from oxidative coupling of 4-hydroxyphenyl- propanoids

    John Ralph;Knut Lundquist;Gösta Brunow;Fachuang Lu

  • Formaldehyde stabilization facilitates lignin monomer production during biomass depolymerization

    Li Shuai;Masoud Talebi Amiri;Ydna M. Questell-Santiago;Florent Héroguel

  • Repression of lignin biosynthesis promotes cellulose accumulation and growth in transgenic trees

    Wen-Jing Hu;Scott A. Harding;Jrhau Lung;Jacqueline L. Popko

  • Lignin structure and its engineering

    John Ralph;John Ralph;Catherine Lapierre;Wout Boerjan

  • Structural Characterization of Wheat Straw Lignin as Revealed by Analytical Pyrolysis, 2D-NMR, and Reductive Cleavage Methods

    José C. del Río;Jorge Rencoret;Jorge Rencoret;Pepijn Prinsen;Ángel T. Martínez

  • Lignin biosynthesis and its integration into metabolism.

    Ruben Vanholme;Barbara De Meester;John Ralph;Wout Boerjan

  • Guidelines for performing lignin-first biorefining

    Mahdi M. Abu-Omar;Katalin Barta;Gregg T. Beckham;Gregg T. Beckham;Jeremy S. Luterbacher

  • Pyrolysis-GC-MS characterization of forage materials

    John Ralph;Ronald D. Hatfield

  • Whole plant cell wall characterization using solution-state 2D NMR

    Shawn D Mansfield;Hoon Kim;Fachuang Lu;John Ralph

  • Solution-state 2D NMR of ball-milled plant cell wall gels in DMSO-d6/pyridine-d5

    Hoon Kim;John Ralph

  • Chemoselective Metal-Free Aerobic Alcohol Oxidation in Lignin

    Alireza Rahimi;Ali Azarpira;Hoon Kim;John Ralph

  • Hydroxycinnamates in lignification

    John Ralph

  • Identification and synthesis of new ferulic acid dehydrodimers present in grass cell walls

    John Ralph;Stéphane Quideau;John H. Grabber;Ronald D. Hatfield

  • Multi-scale visualization and characterization of lignocellulosic plant cell wall deconstruction during thermochemical pretreatment

    Shishir P. S. Chundawat;Shishir P. S. Chundawat;Bryon S. Donohoe;Leonardo da Costa Sousa;Thomas Elder

  • Lignin engineering.

    Unknown

  • Lignin-ferulate cross-links in grasses: active incorporation of ferulate polysaccharide esters into ryegrass lignins

    John Ralph;John H. Grabber;Ronald D. Hatfield

  • Caffeoyl Shikimate Esterase (CSE) Is an Enzyme in the Lignin Biosynthetic Pathway in Arabidopsis

    Ruben Vanholme;Ruben Vanholme;Igor Cesarino;Igor Cesarino;Katarzyna Rataj;Yuguo Xiao

  • Discovery of Lignin in Seaweed Reveals Convergent Evolution of Cell-Wall Architecture

    Patrick T. Martone;José M. Estevez;Fachuang Lu;Fachuang Lu;Katia Ruel

  • Combinatorial modification of multiple lignin traits in trees through multigene cotransformation

    Laigeng Li;Yihua Zhou;Xiaofei Cheng;Jiayan Sun

  • Pathway of p-Coumaric Acid Incorporation into Maize Lignin As Revealed by NMR

    John Ralph;Ronald D. Hatfield;Stephane Quideau;Richard F. Helm

Frequent Co-Authors

Fachuang Lu
Fachuang Lu South China University of Technology
Hoon Kim
Hoon Kim University of Wisconsin–Madison
Wout Boerjan
Wout Boerjan Ghent University
Ronald D. Hatfield
Ronald D. Hatfield United States Department of Agriculture
John H. Grabber
John H. Grabber Agricultural Research Service
Kris Morreel
Kris Morreel Ghent University
Catherine Lapierre
Catherine Lapierre University of Paris-Saclay
Jorge Rencoret
Jorge Rencoret Spanish National Research Council
Shawn D. Mansfield
Shawn D. Mansfield University of British Columbia
Richard F. Helm
Richard F. Helm Virginia Tech

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