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EMSL 2026 Summer School: Advanced Methods for Understanding Critical Minerals and Materials Biogeochemistry
July 27 - 31, 2026

The U.S. is focused on increasing and strengthening a domestic supply of critical minerals and materials (CMMs) to provide the nation with energy independence and sustainable energy technologies.

For one week in July, researchers of all career levels, including graduate students, joined national laboratory and academic experts at EMSL 2026 Summer School to explore methods used to uncover the molecular properties and behavior of CMMs. The theme: "Advanced Methods for Understanding Critical Minerals and Materials (CMMs) Biogeochemistry."

Below, check out session recordings and presenter contact info. 

Download a PDF version of the EMSL 2026 Summer School agenda.

 

Monday, July 27

Day 1: Advanced Methods for Deep Understanding of CMM Biogeochemistry

 

8:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction

 

8:45 a.m. - Keynote: Critical Minerals and Materials Biogeochemistry Key Gaps, Challenges, and Future Opportunities 

 

9:30 a.m. - Unlocking Critical Minerals in Red Mud Through EMSL Multiscale Characterization

 

10:00 a.m. - Applying X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy to Critical Mineral Speciation: Links to Organic Matter, Reactive Redox Phases, and Redox-Oscillation–Driven Mobilization

 

10:30 a.m. - Networking Break 

 

10:45 a.m. - Advancing Critical Mineral Research Using Time-of-Flight SIMS 

 

11:05 a.m. - High Resolution Mass Spectroscopy Imaging by NanoSIMS

 

11:25 a.m. - Using MALDI MSI for CMM Research 

 

The following are in-person sessions only (Zoom broadcast ends).


11:55 a.m. - Working Lunch / Recruiting Discussion

1:00 p.m. - Analytical Workshop

2:25 p.m. - Networking Break 

2:40 p.m. - Experimental Design Workshop

 

Tuesday, July 28

Day 2: Resolving Molecular Processes at Pore Scale – Micromodels and Reactive Transport Modeling

 

8:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction

 

8:45 a.m. - Keynote: Reactive Transport Processes at the Pore Scale

Note: There will not be a recording of this presentation shared.

 

9:30 a.m. - Micromodels-based-designs: Terraforms for Visualizing Biogeochemical Processes  

  • Jayde Aufrecht, Biologist, EMSL 

 

10:10 a.m. - Pore2Chip: Creating Reduced Complexity Micromodels from 3D Scan Data

 

10:30 a.m. - Networking Break

 

10:45 a.m. - SubTap Platforms: Visualizing Microbial and Plant–Microbe Interactions Rhizosphere 

 

11:25 a.m. - Chip2Flow: Integrating Pore2Chip Data with PFLOTRAN and AI/ML Models for Complex Microfluidic Geometries 

 

The following are in-person sessions only (Zoom broadcast ends).


11:55 a.m. - Working Lunch / Campaign Posters

1:00 p.m. - Analytical Workshop

2:25 p.m. - Networking Break 

2:40 p.m. - Experimental Design Workshop

 

Wednesday, July 29

Day 3: Biomolecular and Natural Organic Matter Controls on Metal Behavior in Complex Mineral-Aqueous Systems

 

8:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction

 

8:35 a.m. - Natural Organic Matter and Metal Capacity in Complex Systems 

 

9:20 a.m. - Metabolites and Small Molecules: Mobility, Selectivity, Redox

 

9:50 a.m. - Advanced Methods for Understanding Critical Minerals and Materials Biogeochemistry

 

10:20 a.m. - Proteins and Macromolecules: Directionality and Rate Control

 

11:00 a.m. - Networking Break 

 

11:15 a.m. - Keynote: Discovery of Lanthanide-binding Proteins and Metabolites in Pseudomonas putida via High-throughput Computational and Experimental Workflows

 

The following are in-person sessions only (Zoom broadcast ends).


12:00 p.m. - Working Lunch / Professional Development Panel

1:00 p.m. - Analytical Workshop

2:25 p.m. - Networking Break 

2:40 p.m. - Experimental Design Workshop

 

Thursday, July 30

Day 4: The Role of Genomics and Transcriptomics in Understanding Critical Mineral Biology

 

8:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction

 

8:35 a.m. - Keynote: Mining Biological Information: Multiomics Insights into Critical Mineral Metabolism

 

9:20 a.m. - Deciphering the Codes Behind Microbial Metabolism: From DNA Reads to Genomes

 

9:55 a.m. - Basic Functional Annotation and Genome-scale Metabolic Modeling 

 

10:25 a.m. - Networking Break  

 

10:40 a.m. - Modern Protein Annotation Techniques

 

11:20 a.m. - Transcriptomics and Metatranscriptomics: Capturing Microbial Activity in the Environment 

 

The following are in-person sessions only (Zoom broadcast ends).


12:00 p.m. - Working Lunch / User Program Discussion

1:00 p.m. - Analytical Workshop

2:25 p.m. - Networking Break 

2:40 p.m. - Experimental Design Workshop

 

Note: The following programming will not be streamed online.       
 

Friday, July 31

Day 5: Multiomic Analyses – An Integrative Framework for Understanding and Manipulating Bio-Mineral Systems

 

8:30 a.m. - Welcome and Introduction

8:35 a.m. - Keynote: Microbial Systems for Critical Mineral Recovery and Refinement Spanning the Fundamental-to-Applied Continuum

9:35 a.m. - Integration of Data Types and Advanced Modeling

10:20 a.m. - Networking Break 

10:35 a.m. - EMSL Summer School In-Person Student Project Working Stations

11:00 a.m. - Group Photo

11:15 a.m. - Working Lunch / EMSL Summer School In-Person Student Project Presentations  

1:00 p.m. - EMSL Tour