Nynke Hester Dekker (pronounced [ˈniŋkə ˈɦɛstər ˈdɛkər]; born 2 April 1971) is a Dutch biophysicist who since 2024 has been Professor of Biophysics at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford.
Dekker looks to understand the action of molecules and proteins essential for cellular processes (e.g. copying and translating DNA, repairing errors).
[citation needed] Her early work investigated the enzyme Type I topoisomerase, which is involved in the replication of DNA and RNA.
[4] Dekker has developed a broad range of single-molecule techniques and nanoanalytical probes, including magnetic and optical tweezers and nanopores.
[6] Dekker spent 2015 on sabbatical at the Francis Crick Institute,[6] where she decided to switch focus to the complex biomolecular processes involved with chromatin replication, which was supported by a ERC Advanced Grant in 2018.