To compete in the energy market, biofuel feedstocks need to be high yielding and carbon neutral or negative. To avoid competition with existing food production systems, these crops will need to be grown on marginal lands with few inputs. Researchers plan to take a systems approach to dissect complex genotype by environment interactions in the…
Joint Genome Institute/UC Merced Genomics Distinguished Graduate Internship Program
The JGI/UCM Genomics Graduate Distinguished Graduate Internship Program is a program for graduate students at the University of California, Merced (UCM), to spend the summer in labs at the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI). It is jointly sponsored by the two institutions. The objectives of this program are to: Introduce students to emerging genomics technologies…
Single Cell Genomics for Station ALOHA samples
Research over the past half-century has built a coherent, conceptual framework for biogeochemical dynamics in natural microbial ecosystems, but quantitative biological and systems biology approaches are only just now beginning to be applied to natural microbial systems. In this project, the researchers intend to apply genome-enabled quantitative systems biology approaches to describe the model open…
Metagenomics of Deep Ocean Crust Communities
Hydrologically sealed boreholes that penetrate through the sediment and into the basaltic crust currently provide the only direct means to sample microbial life within the fluids percolating through the Earth’s vast sediment-buried subseafloor basement. Only a handful of boreholes have been designed specifically for microbiological sampling of the basaltic subseafloor. Researchers plan to compare microbial…
Influence of Phycosphere on Algae for Biofuel
Microalgae are among the most productive microbial biofuel options. Many algae accumulate neutral lipids or triacylglycerol as storage products, and can be grown on alternative water sources and marginal lands. Additionally, these organisms naturally sequester carbon dioxide and help control greenhouse gas accumulation in the atmosphere. Through a community systems biology approach, researchers hope to elucidate…
Genetic Diversity in Switchgrass and its Microbiome
Switchgrass has been championed as a promising cellulosic feedstock based on its broad adaptability, abiotic stress tolerance, and high yields with low inputs. Researchers still need a detailed understanding of the genetic or molecular basis of these attributes or how they arose over evolutionary time. They also need more information on the role of microbial…
Anaerobic Fungi for Biogas Production
Anaerobic fungi can break down plant mass and are best studied from the digestive tract of ruminants. During their life cycles, the fungal zoospores recognize and swim toward ingested plant matter and attach to its surface before penetrating the plant cells. In this way, fibrous lignocellulose rich substrates can be mechanically degraded. In addition to mechanical degradation,…
Carbon Cycling in Northern Aquatic Ecosystems
The boreal forests play a central role in global carbon cycling, storing 37 percent of the total carbon present in the terrestrial biosphere. Owing to the high density of lakes in the boreal forest, these freshwater systems play a particularly important role in the carbon cycle. Often boreal lakes are supersaturated in carbon dioxide, resulting…
Photosynthesis in Chlamydomonas
Photosynthesis is the biological process that uses the energy of sunlight to drive the primary production of organic carbon in the biosphere. Despite its fundamental importance, researchers have not yet identified all of the genes that are required for photosynthesis. To identify potentially hundreds of new genes that are necessary for photosynthesis, researchers plan to…
RAISE the Standard
As part of the ongoing diversity & inclusion efforts at the JGI, the Diversity & Inclusion Working Group developed a poster asking people to “RAISE the Standard“: Respect. Act as a mentor. Include Everyone. Support a healthy work-life balance. Encourage risk-taking. The new poster will be placed in the conference rooms.