Projects

Quantifying Differential Expression and Identifying Bottlenecks in Methanogenic Pathways

Lead Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Principal Investigator

Zaida Luthey-Schulten

Project type

FICUS Research

To facilitate our BER funded research to develop models of acetotrophic methanogenic microbes that predictively capture changes in cell behavior with single cell resolution due to dynamic…

Dissecting intraspecies diversity in fungal wood decay

Lead Institution

Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute

Principal Investigator

Ronald de Vries

Project type

FICUS Research

Basidiomycete fungi are essential for degradation of wood in natural eco-systems and therefore a crucial part of the global carbon cycle. Genomic and post-genomic studies into several basidiomycete…

Integrated biogeochemical modeling of microbial consortia mediating anaerobic oxidation of methane in dynamic methane hydrate-bearing sediments

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Frederick Colwell

Project type

FICUS Research

Methane hydrate-bearing marine continental margin sediments are estimated to contain up to 2000 Pg carbon as methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This methane is released upon hydrate dissociation,…

Systems-level insights into carbon transformations in thawing permafrost by parallel high-resolution organic matter and microbial community characterizations

Lead Institution

The Ohio State University

Principal Investigator

Virginia Rich

Project type

FICUS Research

A fundamental challenge of modern environmental science is to understand how earth systems will respond to climate change. A parallel challenge in biology is to understand how information encoded in…

Mapping the metabolism of nutrient and carbon exchange in the plant-microbe symbiosis

Lead Institution

West Virginia University

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Cumming

Project type

FICUS Research

This research will identify the molecular responses that enable circumvention of phosphorus (P) starvation response in symbiotic plant-microbe communities. Using JGI/EMSL capabilities to assess…

Coupling Microbial Communities to Carbon and Contaminant Biogeochemistry in the Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction Zone

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

James Stegen

Project type

FICUS Research

The proposed study will integrate molecular data generated through a combination of JGI and EMSL capabilities to support research activities under the Subsurface Biogeochemical Research-Science Focus…

Uncovering the composition and function of the aquatic microbiome for duckweeds

Lead Institution

University of Tennessee

Principal Investigator

Sarah Lebeis

Project type

FICUS Research

Duckweed is a family of aquatic plants that are the fastest flowering plants in the world. They are capable of quickly converting wastewater into an easily harvestable, low lignin content biomass…

Integrated genomic/transcriptomic/secretomic study of plant-fungal interactions between pines and their symbiotic ectomycorrhizal fungi in the mushroom genus Suillus

Lead Institution

Duke University

Principal Investigator

Rytas Vilgalys

Project type

FICUS Research

We propose an integrated -omic study of symbiotic interactions between pines (Pinus spp.) and their ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) in the genus Suillus. We are developing the Pine-Suillus symbiosis as a…

Microbial controls on biogeochemical cycling in deep subsurface shale carbon reservoirs

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Kelly Wrighton

Project type

FICUS Research

Terrestrial deep shales and their interfaces are carbon-rich environments that represent a significant component of the U.S. energy portfolio. Energy resources in these environments have recently…

Decoding DOM degradation: how does carbon source and sunlight exposure alter microbial metabolism and expression of genome-encoded metabolic degradation of permafrost organic matter?

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Byron Crump

Project type

FICUS Research

Climate change in the Arctic is progressing rapidly, thawing large areas of permafrost that contain nearly half of the world's soil organic carbon. Conversion of this carbon pool to greenhouse…

Sensing External Metals by Outer Membrane Beta-Barrel Proteins

Lead Institution

Georgia Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

Thomas DiChristina

Project type

FICUS Research

Metal-reducing bacteria drive a variety of environmentally important processes, including the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and metals, the bioremediation of radionuclides and organohalides, and…

Elucidating the Influences of Engineered N-glycosylation Motifs in Bacterial Biomass Hydrolyzing Enzymes upon Heterologous and Native Gene Expression, Secretion and Degradation in Aspergillus niger

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jon Magnuson

Project type

FICUS Research

Aspergillus niger is a genetically tractable model organism for scientific discovery and a platform organism used in industry for the production of enzymes for biomass degradation and other…

Structure and Dynamics of Ions and Fluids at Organo-Mineral-Fluid Interfaces

Lead Institution

St. Mary's College of Maryland

Principal Investigator

Geoffrey Bowers

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Our research program strives to provide new insight into the fundamental molecular-scale dynamics, energetics, and reactivity of geochemically relevant solid-fluid interfaces through combined…

Fundamental Studies of Ice Nucleation Using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM)

Lead Institution

Purdue University

Principal Investigator

Alexander Laskin

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The proposed research is to demonstrate applicability of a novel experimental platform for systematic studies of ice nucleation efficiency of atmospheric particles with determination of…

Probing Particle Mediated Growth: Towards a Predictive Understanding of Self-Assembly for Energy Applications

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Kevin Rosso

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This Science Theme proposal aims at developing a fundamental understanding of forces between nanoparticles in aqueous solution that underpin self-assembly of materials by oriented aggregation. This…

Molecular composition and phase characteristics of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) relevant to the FIX2014 and SOAS2013 campaigns

Lead Institution

California Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator

John Seinfeld

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) can be a large component of the troposphere, potentially altering visibility, human health, atmospheric chemistry, and climate patterns on a regional scale. The…

Bioinspired Homogeneous and Surface-confined Catalysts for Energy Storage and Production Reactions

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Molly O'Hagan

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Three related research programs at PNNL focus on developing bioinspired electrocatalysts for energy storage, energy production, or carbon fixation reactions such as the production and oxidation of…

Cooperative Interactions of Marine Macromolecules at the Air-Water Interface

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Philip Rasch

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Sea spray aerosol (SSA) particles formed from bubbles bursting at the ocean surface contain a large fraction of organic matter. The presence of this organic matter is driven by the adsorption of…

Comprehensive chemical composition of Arctic aerosols and formation mechanisms of organosulfates investigated by highly advanced techniques

Lead Institution

Aarhus University

Principal Investigator

Marianne Glasius

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The fundamental insufficiency of scientific knowledge on the sources, formation and properties of aerosols, especially the organic aerosol fraction, hampers our knowledge of the climate system of the…

Understanding Water Splitting on Model Mixed Metal Oxide Photocatalysts

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Michael Henderson

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

There is a need for new fundamental insights into photocatalytic water splitting particularly how to design catalyst systems that extend the catalytic and photocatalytic functionalities of simple…