Call for Exploratory Research Proposals, FY 2026
Call opens June 2, 2025
Timeline
-
Call opens
-
Letters of intent due at 5 p.m. PDT
-
Invitation to submit full proposals
-
Full proposals due at 5 p.m. PDT
-
Decision notices sent
-
Projects start
Proposals must employ one or more of the capabilities highlighted below to advance scientific understanding in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory’s (EMSL’s) three Science Areas (Functional and Systems Biology, Environmental Transformations and Interactions, Computing, Analytics, and Modeling). As a guide, at least 30% of the research effort should focus on the highlighted capabilities listed below in terms of requested hours or samples analyzed. Other EMSL Instruments and Resources may be used to supplement your research plan. Interested users are encouraged to work closely with EMSL scientists when developing the letter of intent (LOI) and subsequent proposal.
We also encourage submissions that propose to use highlighted capabilities to investigate biogeochemical transformations, organisms, and cellular pathways central to the understanding of cycling, acquisition, concentration, and separation of critical minerals and materials (CMMs) in natural and artificial/anthropogenic environments as well as the cleanup and remediation of industrial waste streams. The latter include but are not limited to sediments, soils, and bioreactors, as well as process brines from geothermal, oil, and natural gas wells. Review a list of the Department of Energy (DOE) CMMs.
An LOI is required before submitting a proposal, and full proposals may only be submitted by invitation. The most recent versions of the EMSL templates for the LOI and full proposal must be downloaded and completed for proposals to be considered for review. EMSL will use dual anonymous peer review for this call. Full proposals must be anonymized to enable dual anonymous peer review. Successful proposals will include well-described research plans that can be completed within the 9-month project period.
Exploratory proposals are approximately a third of the duration and budget of a full Large-Scale Research (LSR) or Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science (FICUS) proposal. To help accomplish research goals during the 9-month time frame, we encourage applicants to focus the research narrative on one or possibly two objectives. For proposals that are awarded, we strongly encourage applicants to be ready to ship samples as close as possible to the project start date. All samples must be submitted to EMSL by June 1, 2026, unless an exception is made by the project manager and host Integrated Research Platform Leader.
Highlighted Capabilities
- Single-cell proteomic and/or transcriptomic workflows (nanoPOTS/nanoSPLIT/splitSEQ) to quantitatively characterize phenotypic heterogeneity and spatial organization and to delineate cell–cell interactions underpinning the functioning of multicellular and/or multispecies microbial systems (Contacts: James Fulcher and Alex Beliaev).
- High-fidelity cell separation and isolation techniques (i.e., fluorescence-activated cell sorting [FACS], laser capture microdissection [LCM], nano dispensing) that enable downstream integration of multimodal measurements such as high-resolution imaging, chemical/spectroscopic analyses, and single-cell omics. We invite Biological and Environmental Research (BER)-mission-aligned proposals that deepen the understanding of environmental microbes and microbiomes central to the bioprocessing of materials and products of economic value. Of particular interest are proposals exploring biological pathways (including but not limited to catabolic and biosynthetic reactions) and organisms participating in critical material transformations, transport, and acquisition, as well as proposals addressing questions related to microbe–mineral interactions (Contacts: Scott Lea and Alex Beliaev).
- To support the development of new high-throughput cell phenotyping workflows, EMSL is introducing advanced capabilities in atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis. This innovative technique enables the rapid and effective creation of genetically diverse libraries across a wide range of microbial hosts. We invite proposals that systematically examine and characterize the impact of ARTP on microorganisms relevant to the DOE BER mission (e.g., CMM recovery and extraction, economically feasible production of biomaterials and chemicals), focusing on aspects such as mutation frequency and mutation types. These investigations will support the efficient development of downstream phenotyping protocols as well as provide data for artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-enabled strain engineering strategies (Contacts: Erin Bredeweg and Alex Beliaev).
- We invite proposals that leverage EMSL’s capabilities in cell-free protein expression and high-throughput mass spectrometry (MS) for parallel same-sample metabolite and protein quantification in low complexity samples to support the development of workflows enabling enzyme/pathway kinetic studies (Contacts: Paul Piehowski, James Evans, and Alex Beliaev).
- Experimental (e.g., cell-free expression, cryogenic electron microscopy [cryo-EM], native mass spectrometry, etc.) and/or computational (e.g., OpenFold, Boltz-1, molecular dynamics, etc.) workflows to accelerate the annotation of uncharacterized proteins that are highly conserved across fungi, with particular emphasis on gene to structure and function workflows of fungal proteins (Contact: James Evans).
- Applications of spectroscopic and atomic imaging to resolve structural and biochemical interactions between environmental microbes and critical materials or between proteins or protein complexes and interfaces in plant or microbial systems (Contact: Scott Lea).
- Applications of deep multiomic characterization of microorganisms involved in bioprocess and metabolic pathways applicable for biomanufacturing and biotransformation in the bioeconomy aligning with BER mission and strategy (e.g., bacteria, fungi, algae). Specific emphasis on statistics-driven data integration of different analytical types (e.g., nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] and MS approaches) (Contact: Mary Lipton).
- Applications of deep multiomic characterization that expand the knowledge of microbiomes and the fundamentals of how microbes interact in these systems (including interkingdom interactions). Specific highlighted capabilities include the integration of global omics (proteomics, metabolomics by NMR and MS techniques) and statistical approaches to data integration (Contact: Mary Lipton).
- MS-based discovery analysis for mapping post-translational modification (PTM) analyses in microbial systems with an emphasis on the impact of protein phosphorylation and acetylation on metabolic pathway regulation, growth rates, and bioproduct production (Contact: Paul Piehowski).
- Spatially resolved analyses that use metabolome-informed proteome imaging (MIPI) to visualize biological pathways in complex systems. These analyses use matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS imaging and micro- or nanoscale proteomics (microPOTS or nanoPOTS) to visualize biological pathways at activity hotspots in microbial systems (Contact: Marija Veličković).
- Identification and relative quantification of secondary metabolites, especially siderophores and other metal coordinating species, in complex biological systems such as microbial consortia using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to dual-high resolution MS (hybrid Fourier transform Orbitrap Exploris 480-21 Tesla ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry [FTICR-MS]) (Contact: Will Kew).
- Innovative work to understand biogeochemical processes in BER-relevant environments, including but not limited to soils, sediments, surface water, groundwater, permafrost, and peatlands. Proposals must leverage EMSL’s gas chromatography (GC), pyrolysis gas chromatography (PyGC), LC, and/or FTICR-MS capabilities for natural organic matter (OM) and/or metabolomic characterization. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Emily Graham to discuss scope and capabilities.
- Nano- to microscale compositional, morphological, and chemical characterization of mineral-associated OM, including minerals containing CMMs. Potential methods include scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), atomic probe tomography (APT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) (Contacts: Yaobin Xu for S/TEM/EELS, Danny Perea for APT, Shuttha Shutthanandan for XPS, Odeta Qafoku for SEM/EDS.)
- Spectroscopic characterization of soil organic matter (SOM) and mineral–OM associations (including CMMs). Potential methods include Mössbauer, Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and NMR spectroscopy. (Contacts: Eric Walter for EPR, Ravi Kukkadapu for Mössbauer, Brian O’Callahan for Raman, and David Hoyt for NMR).
- Chemical imaging of rhizosphere, soil, and sediment processes using TerraForms, including micromodels, RhizoChips, and Pore2Chip platforms, and/or RhizoMAP capabilities. TerraForms reproduce pore networks and can include bioprinted native soil microbes, soil aggregates, and minerals. The development and use of TerraForms to study CMM and rare earth element solubilization and transport in porous media are highly encouraged. (Contacts: Arunima Bhattacharjee and Jayde Aufrecht; Dušan Veličković for RhizoMap). Parties interested in mineral-printed RhizoChip capabilities are strongly encouraged to contact Jayde Aufrecht prior to LOI submission.
- Stable isotope probing coupled with laser ablation–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LA-IRMS) to spatially map the trajectory of root-exuded carbon in the rhizosphere and surrounding soil (50 to 150 µm spatial resolution of datapoints from in situ samples) (Contacts: Vimal Balasubramanian and Sophie Lehmann).
- Root exudate characterization using EMSL’s ultrasensitive gas and LC MS methods and small-molecule analytics methods (e.g., NMR). The development/use of novel capabilities for high-throughput collection and analysis of root exudates from field settings is highly encouraged, including trap systems, Rhizon samplers, microdialysis probes, or similar approaches (Contact: Amir Ahkami).
- Investigations of atmospheric processing and ice formation potential of particles from biomass burning and biological and field-collected atmospheric particles using any of the following capabilities: controlled combustion system (Contact: Zezhen Cheng), freezing assay system (Nurun Nahar Lata), ice-nucleating particle concentration measurements at warm temperatures (Gourihar Kulkarni), portable ice nucleation experiment (Swarup China), and thermal desorption GC quadrupole time-of-fight MS (Swarup China).
- Atmospheric aerosol particle characterization using sum frequency generation (SFG) to study heterogeneous chemistry (Contact: Zheming Wang)
- Measurement of vertical composition profiles of atmospheric aerosols and their potential to uptake water and act as ice-nucleating particles. Samples must be from flights over the Bankhead National Forest using the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement facility’s ArcticShark uncrewed aerial system in summer 2024 and planned flights during summer 2025. Proposals that require additional sample collection or related activities from the ARM facility will not be eligible (Contact: Swarup China).
- Assessment and application of novel computational strategies for incorporating molecular data into existing biogeochemical, watershed, and Earth system models. Submitters are encouraged to propose parameterizations of Molecular Observation Network (MONet) data that could improve reaction networks, or thermodynamic or kinetic pool representations within existing model frameworks. The use of AI models or other strategies for estimating, extrapolating, or scaling MONet parameters with the context of watershed and Earth system frameworks is also encouraged. Submitters should articulate how the proposed work will enable the utilization of MONet data in larger-scale model frameworks (Contacts: Arjun Chakrawal and Satish Karra). Proposals may utilize the numerical tools available in EMSL’s PFLOTRAN Carbon Reaction Sandbox (Contact: Glenn Hammond) or Pore2Chip/Chip2Flow workflows (Contact: Maruti Mudunuru).
- Tests of innovative approaches for ontology refinement, alignment, and engineering, particularly if integrated with large language models. These tests should focus on the methods’ capacity to bridge or standardize ontologies or data models between the different research communities whose discoveries advance DOE, Office of Science, BER program mission science, with the ultimate goal of enabling scientists to more easily develop an integrative understanding of biogeochemical and biological processes (Contact: Montana Smith).
- Investigations seeking to apply, test, and compare advanced methods for the multimodal integration of imaging data with other data streams. For instance, overlaying MS-based imaging data with abundance or concentration data can identify areas of interest for detailed sample collections. Accelerated, semiautomated methods (including but not limited to AI/ML-based ones) promise to accelerate discoveries from imaging capabilities such as confocal microscopy, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and MALDI (Contact: Kelly Stratton).
- Investigations seeking to identify and quantify metabolites from NMR spectra. EMSL has developed a semiautomated capability to increase throughput as well as consistency, and datasets with novel or unusual BER-relevant metabolites are of particular interest (Contact: Kelly Stratton).
- Assessment and application of novel computational strategies, particularly leveraging AI/ML, for converting raw molecular data from high-resolution MS into actionable scientific insights. Proposals should focus on improving our understanding of biogeochemical and biological processes, and studies focused on processing and annotating data from omics and complex mixtures are of particular interest (Contacts: Aivett Bilbao and Yuri Corilo).
- Investigations applying novel computational methods for the modeling and simulation of BER-relevant biological systems at molecular and cellular scales. Proposals should leverage newly developed approaches to either simulate complex systems that were not previously tractable; accelerate the convergence of molecular simulations; improve accuracy through multiscale modeling, advanced sampling methods, or coupled atomistic–coarse-grained simulations; or gain new understanding of molecular behavior and regulation by post-simulation analysis. Studies that would advance model–experiment integration (ModEx) involving EMSL’s experimental capabilities are of particular interest (Contacts: Margaret Cheung and Amity Andersen).
- Computational studies leveraging continuum reactive transport models derived from MONet soil data using EMSL’s upscaling capabilities or studies applying novel statistical or AI/ML-based methods to MONet soil data. Proposals should focus on how the work advances capabilities to elucidate hydrobiogeochemical processes or process parameters (Contact: Satish Karra).
- Novel applications of new data science and statistical approaches to analyze and integrate EMSL data, especially in the context of BER-relevant public data resources such as other BER user facilities (e.g., using MAGI to integrate EMSL metabolomic data with genome data from the Joint Genome Institute). Studies aiming to integrate MONet data with public soil, flux, hydrology, and other geospatial data are highly encouraged (Contact: Kelly Stratton).
- Identifying, modeling, and/or optimizing proteins that bind critical materials or small molecules containing them (view the definitions). Investigations seeking to test new models’ capabilities for predicting the behavior of such proteins are also of interest, e.g., protein language models or genome language models (Contact: Satish Karra). Studies that would validate findings through experimental capabilities are encouraged but not required.
- Investigations leveraging genome-scale metabolic models (GSMMs) to understand experimental results or develop novel experimental designs. Studies requiring model refinement using EMSL data and/or JGI data are of special interest, as are studies leveraging novel methodologies for model creation and refinement (Contacts: Satish Karra and Niaz Chowdhury).
- EMSL is introducing a new Makerspace capability. Users can leverage the Makerspace to build physical prototypes to help them answer research questions in BER-relevant science areas. The capabilities will include 3-D printers (resin, high temperature, filament), laser engravers and cutters (CO2, ultraviolet [UV]), collaborative robotic equipment and liquid handlers, shared collaboration and storage spaces, dedicated design computers, and more. Example use cases include developing micrometer-resolution laser-etched 3-D models of soils to study processes using a reduced complexity experimental setup or developing custom field-deployable aerosol capture devices to study rhizosphere processes. Our 3-D printers could be used to print biologically compatible vessels to study perturbations of microbial growth, or interfaces to capture the headspace of a 96 well plate. Users can access the capabilities remotely in collaboration with on-site staff, or they can opt to join us here at EMSL (travel and accommodations not provided). Contact Kim DeSousa or the Integrated Research Platform leader in your scientific domain.
Contacts
For questions about the proposal submission process, please contact User Program Services.
For technical help with NEXUS, please contact NEXUS Support.
For scientific questions, contact the EMSL staff identified in the focus topics or highlighted capabilities of the proposal call.
Review criteria
User proposals are peer-reviewed against the three criteria listed below. For each criterion, the reviewer rates the proposal as Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Fundamentally Sound, or Questionable Impact. In addition, the reviewer provides detailed comments on the quality of the proposal to support each rating, specifically noting the proposal’s strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the reviewer provides overall comments and recommendations to support the ratings given. These scores and comments serve as the starting point for Proposal Review Panel (PRP) discussions. The PRP is responsible for the final score and recommendation to EMSL management.
Criterion 1: Scientific merit and quality of the proposed research (50%)
Potential Considerations: How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts? How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?
Criterion 2: Relevance of the proposed research to the missions of EMSL and the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program (25%)
EMSL’s mission is to accelerate scientific discovery and pioneer new capabilities to understand biological and environmental processes across temporal and spatial scales. EMSL supports the mission of the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program to achieve a predictive understanding of complex biological, Earth, and environmental systems for the Nation’s energy and infrastructure sustainability and security. The BER program seeks to understand the biological, biogeochemical, and physical processes that span from molecular and genomics-controlled scales to the regional and global scales that govern changes in watershed dynamics, climate, and the Earth system.
Starting with the genetic information encoded in organisms’ genomes, BER research seeks to discover the principles that guide the translation of genetic code into functional proteins and the metabolic and regulatory networks underlying the system biology of plants and microbes as they respond to and modify their environments. This predictive understanding will enable the design and reengineering of microbes and plants underpinning energy independence and a broad clean energy portfolio, including improved biofuels and bioproducts, improved carbon storage capabilities, and controlled biological transformation of materials such as nutrients and contaminants in the environment.
BER research further advances the fundamental understanding of dynamic, physical, and biogeochemical processes required to systematically develop Earth system models that integrate across the atmosphere, land masses, oceans, sea ice, and subsurface. These predictive tools and approaches are needed to inform policies and plans for ensuring the security and resilience of the Nation’s critical infrastructure and natural resources.
Potential Considerations: What is the relationship of the proposed research to EMSL’s and BER’s missions? Does the research significantly advance mission goals and align with the focus topics for EMSL’s science areas as outlined in the most recent Call for Proposals? How well does the project plan represent a unique or innovative application or development of EMSL capabilities?
Criterion 3: Appropriateness and reasonableness of the request for EMSL resources for the proposed research (25%)
Potential Considerations: Are EMSL capabilities and resources essential to performing this research? Are the proposed methods/approaches optimal for achieving the scientific objectives of the proposal? Are the requested resources reasonable and appropriate for the proposed research? Does the complexity and/or scope of effort justify the duration of the proposed project—including any modifications to EMSL equipment to carry out research? Is the specified work plan practical and achievable for the proposed research project? Is the amount of time requested for each piece of equipment clearly justified and appropriate?