Projects

Understanding DNA surface interactions for systems design and engineering

Lead Institution

University of Texas Medical Branch

Principal Investigator

Bernard Pettitt

Project type

Exploratory Research

DNA replication, DNA modification, and single organism engineering are being used in many fields of relevance to the DOE mission. Extensive knowledge of the fundamental reactions involved in these…

Integrating genome-scale metabolic modeling of a microbial community into simulations of subsurface flow and biogeochemical reactive transport.

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Steven Yabusaki

Project type

Exploratory Research

The goal of this project is to develop a mechanistic, quantitative, and predictive simulation capability for coupled flow and biogeochemical reactive transport that accounts for • genome-specific…

Investigations of Metal-organic Frameworks Using High-field Solid State NMR

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Reimer

Project type

Exploratory Research

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as materials for the capture of CO2 from post-combustion flue gases. The knowledge of gas binding mechanisms and the in-depth understanding of MOF…

Understanding radiation tolerance to He in nanostructured alloys via ion irradiation

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Michael Miller

Project type

Exploratory Research

Advanced Generation-IV fission or future fusion energy systems will require materials that are tolerant to high temperature irradiation and have good mechanical, creep, and corrosion behavior. In…

Multiscale Analysis of Phase Change Memory

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

M.P. Anantram

Project type

Exploratory Research

The ever increasing demands for energy-efficient, high-density, and fast-speed information technology have spurred extensive research interests in non-silicon resistor-based technologies. The most…

CLM4 simulations for the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model Intercomparison Project (MsTMIP)

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Maoyi Huang

Project type

Exploratory Research

In this project, we will conduct global and regional simulations of the community land model (CLM4) as required by the CLM4 simulations for the Multi-scale Synthesis and Terrestrial Model…

Microbial membrane features and metabolic pathways in deep fractured shale systems

Lead Institution

University of New Hampshire

Principal Investigator

Paula Mouser

Project type

Exploratory Research

Humans are currently engineering the deep subsurface at unprecedented scales for the purposes of energy-capture technologies, energy-storage capabilities, and environmental mitigation strategies. To…

Intercellular Vesicular Communication in Plants

Lead Institution

Rice University

Principal Investigator

Janet Braam

Project type

Exploratory Research

Exosomes are powerful vehicles for local, distal and even transpecies cell-to-cell communication in diverse eukaryotes, but whether plant extracellular vesicles can act similarly to exosomes…

Soil organic phosphorus: speciation, abundance, and ecosystem implications in a changing climate

Lead Institution

University of California, Merced

Principal Investigator

Asmeret Berhe

Project type

Exploratory Research

Soil organic phosphorus (P) has been identified as a pivotal component of bioavailable P, especially in late stages of ecosystem development. Organic P turnover rate is affected by the stabilization…

Experimental validation of a central carbon metabolic model in Aspergillus niger to enable metabolic engineering of this fungal cell factory

Lead Institution

Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute

Principal Investigator

Ronald de Vries

Project type

Exploratory Research

Sugar conversion through central carbon catabolism in filamentous fungi is a complex progress that involves many pathways. During growth on plant biomass, multiple 5- and 6-carbon monomeric sugars…

Understanding ice nucleating particles associated with agricultural soils

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Susannah Burrows

Project type

Exploratory Research

The atmospheric concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) impacts the formation and development of cloud ice crystals, affecting cloud radiative properties and precipitation. However,…

Tracking substrate uptake and mRNA expression of aerobic methane-producing bacteria in pelagic waters of Yellowstone Lake

Lead Institution

Montana State University

Principal Investigator

Tim McDermott

Project type

Exploratory Research

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and understanding its sources and sinks is a core goal of the EMSL and DOE mission. Biological methane production is traditionally viewed as a process that can only…

Computational Studies of Nanoparticle Formation Leading to Mineralization and ab initio Thermodynamics Studies of Minerals

Lead Institution

University of Alabama

Principal Investigator

David Dixon

Project type

Exploratory Research

There is a critical need to develop an understanding of nanoparticle and mineral formation in systems that contain H2O, metal ions and CO2 as carbonation and hydrolysis reactions are important for…

Reactivity of Soil Organic Carbon with Minerals under Low Water Conditions

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

John Loring

Project type

Exploratory Research

The manner in which soil organic carbon (SOC) binds to and reacts with mineral surfaces affects SOC (bio)degradation, SOC mobility, soil wettability, mineral dissolution, and the bioavailability of…

Multiscale modelling of nanomorphology of large macro- and biomolecules in complex solutions to study biologically important energy harvesting systems

Lead Institution

National Research Council Canada

Principal Investigator

Sergey Gusarov

Project type

Exploratory Research

In this proposal, we aim a systematic computational investigation of the nanomorphology of organic macromolecules and biomolecules in a complex environment to model biologically important energy…

Proteogenomics to Discover Principles Regulating Metabolic Networks in Oleagenous Green Algae.

Lead Institution

Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Principal Investigator

Juergen Polle

Project type

Exploratory Research

During the last decade a variety of oleaginous green algae (Chlorophyta) have emerged as potential platforms for feedstock production in biofuels applications. For example, multiple strains of the…

Photo-oxidative stress response in Chlamydomonas: Regulation of singlet oxygen acclimation through dynamic changes in intracellular phosphorylation and extracellular signaling

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Setsuko Wakao

Project type

Exploratory Research

Growth of photosynthetic organisms depends on light energy, which in excess causes oxidative damage if not managed properly. Singlet oxygen (1O2) is a highly toxic form of ROS that is predominantly…

Dissecting bacterial heterogeneity using fluorescence and imaging mass spectrometry

Lead Institution

University of Massachusetts Medical School

Principal Investigator

Elizabeth Shank

Project type

Exploratory Research

In nature, most microbes exist as members of complex multispecies communities that play vital roles promoting plant and soil health. Many of these microbial communities exist as biofilms: structured…

Investigation of morphological and mixing state properties of aerosol and ice crystal residual particles from the Atlantic sector of the Arctic

Lead Institution

West Texas A&M University

Principal Investigator

Seong-gi Moon

Project type

Exploratory Research

Our current knowledge of aerosol-cloud interactions in the Arctic is inadequate for accurate modeling of northern high-latitude regions. To fill this gap, the field campaign was recently conducted in…

Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulence at the Sediment-Water Interface

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Sourabh Apte

Project type

Exploratory Research

Understanding the fundamental connections between surface and groundwater is a critical component of the current PNNL Subsurface Science Scientific Focus Area (SFA). The sediment-water interface in…