Raimond Ravelli, former EMBL Grenoble Team Leader, passed away on 30 June 2023 at the age of 55.
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Raimond Ravelli, an EMBL Grenoble Team Leader between 1998 and 2007. He was a brilliant scientist, thoughtful and inspiring mentor and a much appreciated colleague within EMBL and the wider structural biology community.
Raimond obtained his PhD in 1998 at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, working on X-ray data collection techniques and their application to acetylcholinesterase. He then joined EMBL Grenoble and was instrumental to the success of the EMBL-ESRF Joint Structural Group Beamlines. As beamline responsible, he spent long hours optimizing ID14-4 at ESRF. This was the first undulator beamline at a synchrotron dedicated to macromolecular crystallography and for many years was the star MX beamline at the ERSF, producing many important structures such as the ribosome 30S subunit. Raimond developed many methods and instruments to optimize X-ray diffraction experiments at synchrotrons, many of which are still used to this day. He was a pioneer in the study of X-ray beam-induced alterations (‘radiation damage’) and led the development of a method to determine the structure of macromolecules using this phenomenon called RIP (radiation-damage induced phasing). His scientific expertise and openness to collaborate brought him many long-lasting collaborations both within EMBL and beyond. He was often called in to tackle the most challenging experimental X-ray structure determination problems, and was able to salvage many apparently intractable crystallographic problems. His contribution to the structural and functional characterization of tubulin assembly and the binding of cancer drugs and the structural determination of the rabies nucleoprotein-RNA complex are just a few of many seminal results.
In 2007 Raimond moved back to The Netherlands to take up an assistant professor position at Leiden University Medical Centre. There he started a new challenge by establishing a group primarily using electron cryo-microscopy to study cytoskeletal proteins, zebrafish and islets as well as continuing to develop methods. In 2014 he moved to Maastricht University as an associate professor to continue this work and was promoted to a full professor position in 2022. During this time he was part of a team that showed SARS-CoV-2 can productively infect human gut enterocytes and was instrumental in development of the Vitrojet for Cryo-EM sample preparation, among many other projects.
Raimond’s enthusiasm to perfect experimental methods and instruments, from X-ray crystallography beamlines at synchrotrons to cryo-electron microscopy and tomography techniques, was always inspiring to others. This, when combined with the many people he has mentored throughout his scientific career, will ensure his legacy lives on.
Stephen Cusack and Andrew McCarthy
I am extremely saddened by his untimely passing. Raimond was instrumental in helping me on my path to becoming a beamline scientist. His enthusiasm and patience when teaching inexperienced crystallographers was fantastic. Raimond was a great inspiration and he will be sorely missed.
James Sandy, Senior Beamline Scientist, Diamond Light Source
There are no words to express my anger and sadness at this terrible news. I only want to remember the pleasure I had contributing to the realization of Raimond’s exceptional scientific vision, and in sharing his enthusiasm. A star that will long shine in the memory of those who knew him. I wish his loved ones all the courage they need to face such a cruel reality.
Florent Cipriani, Team Leader, EMBL Grenoble, 1991-2020
You will be dearly missed my friend and one of my first mentors. You instilled in me a drive for automation, a lot of my interest in Linux & bash scripting as well as the introduction to the need to look into radiation damage so your legacy definitely lives on. I will also fondly remember the hikes to the mountains during my ESRF/EMBL traineeship – I think in your first postdoc – including one where we brought 5 1⁄4 inch floppy disks to observe a sum eclipse at the top of Chamechaude (the highest peak of the Chartreuse massif with 2082m). Our long nights collecting data at ID13 for radiation damage studies were the first of many more sleepless days during the rest of my career. We kept bumping into each other over these almost 25 years and your kindness to me always remarkable and your irradiating energy captivating. My sincere condolences in these difficult times to Raimond’s family.
David Aragão, Senior Beamline Scientist, Diamond Light Source
It’s been a very long time we have met in Grenoble, but today I remember you and Raimond when you visited us and slept at our apartment in between 2 hikes some 25 years ago. Raimond’s smile and friendly face are imprinted in my head since then, and today I think of you and your 2 children Seppe and Noe, really a lot.
I cannot imagine your pain, I cannot imagine that messages like this one can alleviate it whatsoever. But be sure that, together with so many scientists, I’ll remember Raimond as a fantastic guy
Dominique Bourgeois, Institut de Biologie Structurale
I am deeply saddened and completely stunned by the untimely passing of our dear friend and colleague, Raimond. When I started on ID14, Raimond was running ID14-4. He was always smiling, always cheerful. I knew a lot about beamlines and not much at all about structural biology, and Raimond shone with his passion for both! A brilliant scientist, a lovely colleague, and a brave brave man. My thoughts are with our colleague Maaike and their children Seppe and Noe, I wish them strength, courage and peace at this difficult time. Raimond, we will not forget you and your legacy lives on here at the ESRF.
Joanne McCarthy, Head, ESRF User Office
You were taken from us far too early and far too abruptly. We will miss your enthusiasm, insight and energy. I offer my sincere condolences to Raimond’s family.
Andrew Thompson, Team Leader, EMBL Grenoble, 1991-2002
We met at the ESRF synchrotron where Raimond joined the ID14 team. During that time in our group of young scientists I appreciated him as a great scientist and a nice person and some nice memories of private moments with him and Maaike remain. When I had to moved on, our path separated but I admired Raimonds move to cryo-EM, a step that I only took much later. My thoughts are with Maaike and the children in these difficult times.
Wim Burmeister, Institut de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble
Raimond was a special and very gifted person and scientist. Please express our sincere condolences to Maaike and wider family.
Martin Walsh, Former EMBL-Grenoble visiting scientist/MRC France Group Leader BM14 & Emanuela ‘Manu’ Fioravanti, Former IBS and ESRF MX scientist
Watch Raimond’s inaugural lecture in Maastricht and his ‘protein dance’ video taken from the same lecture.
Condolences
If you would like to add a message of condolence for inclusion on the EMBL Alumni Obituaries’ page, please contact the Alumni Relations team.
