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Tanja Woyke

Tanja Woyke

Tanja Woyke, Deputy of User Programs, DOE Joint Genome Institute

After studying the mechanism of action of antifungal natural products and their derivatives during her Ph.D. in Microbiology at the Eberhard Karls University Tübingen (Germany), Dr. Woyke pursued her postdoctoral research at the DOE Joint Genome Institute in 2004. The main object of her research was the symbiont community of a gutless oligochaete for which she deciphered function and host-symbiont interplay using metagenomics. Taking on a Research Scientist position in 2007, she switched gears from metagenomics to single-cell genomics, which is now her primary interest and passion. Dr. Woyke stepped into the Microbial Genomics Program Lead position in 2009 and assumed the Deputy Director of User Program position in 2021. In addition to her JGI appointment, she also holds an Adjunct Scientist appointment at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences since 2012 and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of California, Merced School of Natural Sciences since 2015.

Read more about Dr. Woyke’s Targeted Genomics lab.

Education

  • MS in Biology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany
  • Ph.D. in Microbiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany

About the JGI Deputy of User Programs

The Deputy of User Programs provides direction, leadership, and oversight for all JGI user programs, including the Community Science Program and Emerging Technical Opportunity Program. The Deputy of User Programs also acts as a liaison to our partner institutions, funding agencies and the broader scientific community.

Awards and Service

  • 2020 van Niel International Prize for Studies in Bacterial Systematics
  • 2020 Elected fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology
  • 2015 LBNL Women @ The Lab Award
  • 2014 LBNL 2014 Director’s Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement
  • Advisory Board Member for Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Single Cell Genomics Center (2013-current)
  • Science Advisory Board Member for Science Department, Berkeley City College, (2015-current)
  • Organizing Committee Board Member for Lake Arrowhead Microbial Genomics Conference (2017-current)
  • Genomic Standards Consortium Advisory Board member (2018-current)
  • France Genomique Scientific Advisory Board member (2020-current)
  • Advisory Committee member for the Center for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at Virginia State University (2021-current). 
  • Editorial Board Member for ISME J (Senior Editor 2016-2021), Peer J (2015-2019), Scientific Data (2017-2019).
  • Reviewer for major journals and funding agencies, including Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Methods, Nature Communications, Nature Protocols, Nature Reviews Genetics, ISME J, Nucleic Acids Research, DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants, UAEU Program for Advanced Research (UPAR) Grant Competition, ANR, ASF, Beckman Institute at Caltech Review (Member of Visiting Committee), NASA Exobiology. 

Selected Publications

  1. Nayfach et al. 2021. A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes. Nature Biotechnology 39, 499-509.
  2. Schulz et al. 2020. Giant virus diversity and host interactions through global metagenomics. Nature 578, 432-436.
  3. Bowers et al. 2017. Minimum information about a single amplified genome (MISAG) and a metagenome- assembled genome (MIMAG) of bacteria and archaea. Nature Biotechnology 35, 725-731.
  4. Mukherjee et al. 2017. 1,003 reference genomes of bacterial and archaeal isolates expand coverage of the tree of life. Nature Biotechnology 35, 676-683.
  5. Schulz et al. 2017. Giant viruses with an expanded complement of translation system components. Science 356, 82-85.
  6. Tsementzi et al. 2016. SAR11 bacteria linked to ocean anoxia and nitrogen loss. Nature 536, 179-183.
  7. Ivanova et al. 2014. Stop codon reassignments in the wild. Science 344, 909-913.
  8. Rinke et al. 2013. Insights into the phylogeny and coding potential of microbial dark matter. Nature 499, 431-437.
  9. Hess et al. 2011. Metagenomic discovery of biomass-degrading genes from cow rumen. Science 331, 463-467.
  10. Swan et al. 2011. Potential for chemolithoautotrophy amoung ubiquitous bacteria lineages in the dark ocean. Science 333, 1296-1300.
  11. Newton et al. 2007. The Calyptogena magnifica chemoautotrophic symbiont genome. Science 315, 998-1000.
  12. Woyke et al. 2006. Symbiosis insights through metagenomic analysis of a microbial consortium. Nature 443, 950-955.