Projects

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…

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…

Quantitative Characterization of Surface Plasmon-Enhanced Electromagnetic Fields on Ag Nanostructures by Two-photon Photoemission Electron Microscopy

Lead Institution

University of Florida

Principal Investigator

Wei Wei

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Achieving a precise correlation between the localized optical properties and the local geometry of nanostructures will significantly advance the understanding of the nature and origin of nano…

Correlation of Composition, Microstructure, and Strain at InGaN/GaN Interfaces with Optoelectronic Properties of III-Nitride-Based Light-Emitting Diodes

Lead Institution

Carnegie Mellon University

Principal Investigator

Lisa Porter

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

In the proposed research we seek to address critical materials issues in GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) for future solid-state lighting applications. Solid-state lighting has enormous…

Designing Nanomaterials for Fuel Cells Electrocatalysts

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Yuehe Lin

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Fuel cells are very important in addressing the issues with environment and global climate change. The main challenges for developing fuel cells are the prohibitive production cost and poor…

Toxoplasma Gondii Developmental Biology: A Correlative Transcriptome Proteome Approach

Lead Institution

Yeshiva University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Principal Investigator

Louis Weiss

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The Apicomplexa include most of the major protozoan pathogens of humans and animals, such as Plasmodia (malaria), Babesia, Theileria, Cryptosporidia, Cyclospora, Neospora, Eimeria, and Isospora. Of…

Membrane Receptor-Directed Nanomaterial-Cell Interactions

Lead Institution

University of Montana

Principal Investigator

Andrij Holian

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The global market for nanotechnology is expected to grow to ~$3 trillion by 2015 and with the increased fabrication and usage of nanomaterials the potential for exposure of nanotechnology workers and…

A Joint Experimental and Computational Investigations of U(VI) Excited States in Uranyl Compounds Relevant to U(VI) Remediation At DOE Sites

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Zheming Wang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Actinides widely exist in natural resources such as mines, atmosphere, and underground water, and in man-made radioactive nuclear wastes from nuclear power plants and weapons production. Particularly…

Integrated Modeling and Experimental Evaluation of Hydrodynamic and Microbial Controls on DNAPL Dissolution and Detoxification

Lead Institution

Michigan Technological University

Principal Investigator

Eric Seagren

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are among the most common organic subsurface contaminants at DOE and many other contaminated sites. In situ bioremediation of aqueous-phase PCE and…