Stephen White’s passing is a great loss to the scientific community. His contributions to protein science are truly tremendous. Among his many influential works, the paper “Experimentally Determined Hydrophobicity Scale for Proteins at Membrane Interfaces” is especially notable and remains an important contribution to our understanding of protein behavior.
Protein surface properties, including the balance between hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas, are fundamental determinants of protein folding, stability, membrane association, molecular interactions, and ultimately biological function. Understanding how proteins interact with their environments has been a cornerstone of structural biology, and Steve’s rigorous biophysical approaches provided valuable principles that continue to guide researchers today.
His work is a great reminder of the power of fundamental science—careful measurements, deep physical understanding, and rigorous thinking can have a lasting impact across generations. His scientific legacy will continue to inspire the protein science community.
SHARE
