Projects

Static and dynamic study of interfaces and grain boundaries in solution processed halide perovskite based advanced energy conversion systems

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

Ying Meng

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Advanced energy conversion systems that meet global demands present a formidable goal for a sustainable future. Renewables resources are underexploited, and warrant further research to exploit their…

Omics acceleration of systems improvement of photosynthetic efficiency for higher sustainable yields of bioenergy and bioproduct feedstocks.

Lead Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Principal Investigator

Stephen Long

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Increasing sustainable yields of feedstocks is critical to economic, environmental and land resource viability of bioenergy and bioproduct systems. Photosynthesis is a fundamental contributor to…

From phenotype to genotype and back again: large scale functional characterization of microbial dark matter by combining activity-based cell sorting, isotope labeling, and genomic sequencing

Lead Institution

Montana State University

Principal Investigator

Roland Hatzenpichler

Project type

FICUS Research

Two long-standing problems in microbial ecology are: (1) identifying the factors driving metabolic activity of microbes in their natural environment and (2) determining the substrates that are…

Identifying and applying design rules to engineer polyketide synthases for production of biofuels and bioproducts

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jay Keasling

Project type

FICUS Research

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) produce numerous secondary metabolites in soil dwelling bacteria. For over two decades, researchers have known that portions of these enzymes can be recombined to produce…

Tracking switchgrass photosynthate via 13CO2 pulse-chase into the rhizosphere microbiome and metabolome

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Lisa Tiemann

Project type

FICUS Research

This project aims to increase our understanding of plant-microbe interactions, specifically the exchange of plant C for microbially derived nitrogen. Plant exudates are a high energy foods for…

Combining high resolution organic matter characterization and microbial meta-omics to assess the effects of nutrient loading on salt marsh carbon sequestration

Lead Institution

Northeastern University

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Bowen

Project type

FICUS Research

Salt marshes sequester an order of magnitude more carbon in their sediments than their terrestrial counterparts because rates of decomposition are inhibited by anoxic, water-logged soils. Once easily…

Scaling molecular mechanisms of mycorrhizal-decomposer interactions to emergent ecosystem carbon balance

Lead Institution

Boston University

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Bhatnagar

Project type

FICUS Research

Emerging evidence from field experiments and global scale analyses suggests that ectomycorrhizal fungi may slow soil carbon (C) cycling via negative interactions with free-living microbial…

The synchronization of microbial and plant phenology in a mountainous watershed and its importance for nutrient retention under changing hydrologic regimes.

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Eoin Brodie

Project type

FICUS Research

In mountainous systems that experience seasonal snow-cover, the snowmelt period is characterized by a large pulse of nutrients that originates from microbial mineralization of organic matter beneath…

Linking Proteogenomics, Metabolomics, and Soil Organic Chemistry of Tropical Wetlands to a Soil Nutrient Cycling Model

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Melanie Mayes

Project type

FICUS Research

Our goal is to explicitly link microbial function for decomposition of soil organic matter to substrate organic chemistry to improve process representation in a soil organic carbon and phosphorus (P)…

Engineering enzyme networks for biomass deconstruction in synthetic microbial communities

Lead Institution

University of British Columbia

Principal Investigator

Steven Hallam

Project type

FICUS Research

Lignocellulose, the main component of plant cell walls, is arguably the most abundant biopolymer on the planet1,2. Through biorefining, it is also a renewable input for energy and materials…

Integrated multi-omic analysis of high lipid accumulation in the oleaginous green microalgae Ostreococcus tauri to engineer metabolic pathways for improved triacylglycerol feedstocks

Lead Institution

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Principal Investigator

James Evans

Project type

Exploratory Research

Our proposed mutli-omic approach will empower a comprehensive understanding of cellular pathways linking carbon, nitrogen and phosphate metabolism in the microalga Ostreococcus tauri. The use of this…

The effect of C decomposition environment on plant detritus in soil organic matter

Lead Institution

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Principal Investigator

Randy Jackson

Project type

Exploratory Research

While it is established that increasing temperature and moisture increases the rate of soil C mineralization, we do not know whether these factors change the chemical quality or physical protection…

Rhizosphere processes influencing decomposition of soil organic matter and its contribution to phosphorus cycling

Lead Institution

University of Kentucky

Principal Investigator

David McNear

Project type

Exploratory Research

Using multi-technique approach, including a combination of NMR and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry at EMSL, the overall objective of this study is to determine how P availability and…

Collaborative Access Team: the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) Network

Lead Institution

University of Liverpool

Principal Investigator

Nigel Browning

Project type

Exploratory Research

The executive committee of the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) network is proposing to form a collaborative access team (CAT) to optimize…

Microbial Adaptation in Response to Environmental Stress in Polluted Groundwater Aquifers

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

Charles Werth

Project type

Exploratory Research

Steep gradients in chemical concentration, redox potential, pH, and temperature are common in the environment. They are often "hotspots" of microbial activity and diversity. For example,…

Optimization of Bio-Nano Interfaces for Bioenergy Harvesting and Biosensing Applications using Computational Studies

Lead Institution

University of New Mexico

Principal Investigator

Ivana Gonzales

Project type

Exploratory Research

The goal of this proposal is to determine details of the electrochemical processes at the enzyme-support interface when pyrroloquinoline quinone dependent enzymes are used as biocatalysts in bio…

Structural Studies of Bioinspired Chromophore Aggregates: Exploring the Design Rules for Light-Harvesting Complexes

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Jeanne McHale

Project type

Exploratory Research

The proposed work will reveal the design principles that determine the light-harvesting and energy transfer efficiency of supramolecular antenna complexes. Such complexes in Nature are optimized to…

Identifying the Underlying Mechanism of G5 Domain Interactions

Lead Institution

University of Colorado at Denver

Principal Investigator

Elan Eisenmesser

Project type

Exploratory Research

Despite the remarkable success in employing biofilms for a wide range of applications such as the industrial treatment of wastewater and the potential for utilizing biofilms for biofules, exactly how…

The Interfacial Electronic Structure and Carrier Dynamics at Molecule-Solid Interface

Lead Institution

University of Pittsburgh

Principal Investigator

Hrvoje Petek

Project type

Exploratory Research

We propose to study the electronic structure and electron dynamics at molecule/solid-surface interfaces in the context of clean energy generation, and green house gas capture. The theoretical…

Quantifying the Reactive Surface Area of Environmental Materials - Continued Research

Lead Institution

University of Texas at El Paso

Principal Investigator

James Kubicki

Project type

Exploratory Research

The accurate prediction of critical environmental chemical processes such as attenuation and transformation of contaminants, mobility of nutrients, and mineral dissolution and precipitation requires…