| Name | Affiliation | Proposal Title |
|---|---|---|
| Aguirre, Emily G. | AltaSeads Conservancy DBA Kelp Ark | Kelp-associated microorganisms for release of fermentable sugars for bioconversion from brown seaweed |
| Bennett, Shauna M. | Georgetown University | Viral-host dynamics and biogeography in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valley soils |
| Bogar, Laura | University of California, Davis | Metatranscriptomes and MAGs to reveal function and biogeochemistry in Douglas-fir forests |
| Borg, Michael | Max Planck Institute for Biology (Germany) | Genomic insights into osmotic adaptation of mangrove red macroalgae |
| Craig, Rory | University of Melbourne (Australia) | Genomic adaptations of the green alga Chlamydomonas acidophila to extreme heavy metal concentrations in acid mine drainage |
| Darci-Maher, Nicholas | University of California, Berkeley | Exploring the evolutionary maintenance of symbiosis through comparative metatranscriptomics of carbon exchange systems in wild lichens |
| Davidi, Lital | Northeastern University | Towards genomic insights into stress adaptation in extremophilic algae |
| Doherty, Colleen J. | North Carolina State University | Developing genomic resources for Phytolacca to advance plant-based approaches as a supporting pathway for domestic rare earth element recovery |
| Estrada-Graf, Adrian A. | Duke University | Mechanistic insights of microbiome acclimation to changing environments towards improving the biomass production of Nannochloropsis oceanica C018 |
| Fernandez, Nicole M. | ETH Zürich (Switzerland) | Elucidating microbial host-virus dynamics and metabolic plasticity underlying biogeochemical cycling in subsurface groundwater ecosystems |
| Garvin, Zachary | Georgetown University | Linking microbes to mineralogy across spatial and temporal gradients in Icelandic hydrothermal systems |
| Gautam, Chandan Kumar | North Dakota State University | Multi-omics insights into plant microbe partnerships for sustainable control of iron deficiency chlorosis |
| Gillard, Gareth | Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Norway) | Genome annotation and expression atlas of the lipid-producing dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii |
| Goeckner, Audrey | University of Florida | Microbial drivers of carbon cycling across the terrestrial-aquatic interface of wetlands |
| Goff, Jennifer | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Trailblazers of PyOM Breakdown: Are actinomycetes taking the lead? |
| Gonzalez Henao, Sarah | Michigan State University | Holistic characterization of microbial biofilms in a hyperalkaline serpentinizing ecosystem |
| Hai, Yang | University of California, Santa Barbara | Omics-based study of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in extremophilic and extremotolerant fungi |
| Harenčár, Julia G. | University of California, Davis | Hybrid wild radish reference genomes |
| Hu, Sarah | Texas A&M University | From River to Remedy: Capturing microbial transformations of organic matter at the terrestrial-aquatic interface |
| Kappel, Lisa | University of Vienna (Austria) | Identifying transcriptional regulators of chitin metabolism in industrially important Trichoderma and Aspergillus species using transcriptomics and a network-based approach |
| Kariyawasam, Gayan | University of Tennessee | Uncovering Effector-Mediated Resistance Breakdown: Identifying genetic basis of Rcs2 resistance evasion in soybean frogeye leaf spot |
| Kovacs, Akos T. | Leiden University (Netherlands) | Beneficial model microbial community: omics insights into their plant growth promotion |
| Laanto, Elina | University of Jyväskylä (Finland) | Systems-level insights into the unseen megaphage biology: integrating transcriptome and metabolome to uncover novel phage-host-environment dynamics |
| Marks, Rose A. | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | A haplotype-resolved genome assembly for the hyperdiverse polyploid resurrection grass Microchloa afra |
| Mok, Daniel | Michigan State University | Uncovering the genomic drivers of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) evolution using the carnivorous plant genus Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae) |
| Morrison, Elise | University of Florida | The response of salt marsh microbial communities to increased inundation and salinization |
| Nash, Jake | Duke University | Pathways of urban elemental cycling through the leaf holobiont assessed through metatranscriptomics |
| Peters, Reuben J. | Iowa State University | Investigating the role of diterpenoid natural products in bioenergy crops using rice as a model system |
| Sakuma, Morito | Kyoto University (Japan) | Exploring the urease superfamily to advance sustainable nitrogen recycling and carbon capture |
| Sapers, Haley M. | Northern Arizona University | Characterizing functional potential of microbial dark matter in permafrost hosted methane seep cold springs |
| Shakoor, Nadia | Donald Danforth Plant Science Center | Multi-stage RNA-seq of sorghum to uncover diurnal and developmental gene regulation |
| Shakoor, Nadia | Donald Danforth Plant Science Center | Deep soil metagenomes of sorghum bioenergy systems: Interactions of management, crop and depth |
| Sherbo, Rebecca | Northeastern University | Cellular regulation in lithotrophic carbon- and nitrogen-fixing metabolism |
| Smith, Jennifer E. | University of California, San Diego | Genome-resolved insights into the red macroalga Asparagopsis taxiformis to reveal biogeochemical impacts and bioproduct potential |
| Too, Chin Chin | University of Vienna (Austria) | Impacts of warming on methane cycling in tropical and subarctic peatlands |
| Weigel, Brooke | Stanford University | Determining the molecular basis of thermal tolerance across the life cycle of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) |
| Wilken, Susanne | University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) | Resolving functional diversity among mixotrophic chrysophytes |
| Yuan, Jing | Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station | Exploring microbial responses to marsh restoration for coastal wetland health |
| Zepernick, Brittany | University of North Carolina, Wilmington | Algal-microbial interactions that constrain biogeochemical cycling across a dynamic, coastal continuum |
Pictured from left: [Top row]: Emily G. Aguirre, Shauna M. Bennett, Laura Bogar, Michael Borg, Rory Craig, Nicholas Darci-Maher, Lital Davidi, Colleen J. Doherty, Adrian A. Estrada-Graf, Nicole M. Fernandez; [Row 2]: Zachary Garvin, Chandan Kumar Gautam, Gareth Gillard, Audrey Goeckner, Jennifer Goff, Sarah Gonzalez Henao, Yang Hai, Julia G. Harenčár, Sarah Hu; [Row 3]: Lisa Kappel, Gayan Kariyawasam; Ákos T. Kovács. Elina Laanto, Rose A. Marks, Daniel Mok, Elise Morrison, Jake Nash, Reuben J. Peters, Morito Sakuma; [Bottom row]: Haley M. Sapers, Nadia Shakoor, Rebecca Sherbo, Jennifer E. Smith, Chin Chin Too, Brooke Weigel, Susanne Wilken, Jing Yuan, and Brittany N. Zepernick.
Each year, the JGI solicits novel research projects from PIs who have not led any previously accepted proposals. The New Investigator call, part of our Community Science Program, allows us to work and share our tools with a widening circle of researchers whose work aligns with the DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research program missions.
Below find a list of researchers whose proposals were accepted for 2026. With the JGI's resources, these researchers will harness capabilities including metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and genome assembly to investigate microbial and plant metabolism across diverse ecosystems — from Antarctic soils and Icelandic hydrothermal systems to coastal wetlands and permafrost. Their work advances genomic discoveries that can help lead to applications across critical sectors, including biological routes for critical minerals recovery, microbial pathways for high-value bioproducts, and plant–microbe interactions that enhance crop resilience and soil health.
Proposals are accepted year-round for this ongoing call; the next deadline for proposal submission is Sept. 8, 2026, for inclusion in the October 2026 review. You can also find more information about the JGI’s various proposal calls here.
More Details
CSP New Investigator Call
The CSP New Investigator Call is for investigators and research initiatives new to the JGI. Projects must be independent of ongoing JGI proposals, and lead PIs cannot have been lead PI on any previously accepted JGI CSP or FICUS proposal.
Offerings & Capabilities
With a hands-on approach, we are able to offer our investigators unique strategies suited to a vast array of niche research specialities.
Science Programs
Prospective users are encouraged to reach out to program heads with questions about the JGI’s science and opportunities to partner with the JGI on their research.
Frequently Asked Questions: Proposal Submission
Find a list of Frequently Asked Questions about our proposal submission process, as well as examples of successful LOIs and submissions.
