Biosciences Area at Berkeley Lab

Closing out our campaign, #BioBSE's Blake Simmons was recognized for Exceptional Achievement in Tech Transfer for pioneering scalable biomass deconstruction technologies and translating @berkeleylab.lbl.gov innovations into commercial solutions that advance the U.S. bioeconomy. Congratulations! 🙌

Continuing our celebration of Director's Award winners, #BioMBIB's Peter Zwart was on the Real-Time Synchrotron Imaging Analysis Team recognized for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. The team was cited for building the @als.lbl.gov imaging superfacility to analyze microtomography experiments. 🙌

Outreach Awards went to @jgi.doe.gov's @greensi.bsky.socialand Yi Zhai for the Alabama A&M-JGI internship program, JGI's Rekha Seshadri, Natalia Ivanova, and Stephen Mondo for the Adopt-a-Genome and Myco-Ed education initiatives, and #BioBSE's Bob Haushalter for @jbei.lbl.gov's iCLEM program. 🙌

Congratulations to Nikki Humphreys, Ariana Hirsh, Katrina King, Donald Miller, Christine Naca, and Naomi Reeves who were recognized, along with @eesaberkeleylab.bsky.social colleagues, with the Organizational Impact Award for their support in standing up scientific work in BioEPIC. 🙌

Continuing our celebration of Director's Award honorees, Biosciences Operations Center at Berkeley (BSBK) business manager Eltra Green was a member of the Runaround & Finish Line Festival Team recognized for Exceptional Achievement in Community Building. Congratulations! 🙌

Next up is @vivekmutalik.bsky.social, a staff scientist in the #BioEGSB Division, recognized for Exceptional Achievement in Mid-career Leadership. He's cited for establishing the Phage Foundry (phagefoundry.org) while advancing team science and exemplifying mentorship. Congratulations! 🙌

This week we're celebrating staff who will honored with 2026 Berkeley Lab Director's Awards. Chris Beecroft, a senior data scientist with the Joint Genome Institute, will receive the Stewardship award for pioneering and maintaining the JGI's genomic data infrastructure, Congratulations! 🙌

Congratulations to #BioBSE's Hakyung Lee who placed 3rd at the Bay Area Research Slam on Thursday with her talk, "The Picky Metal-Shopping Bacterium"! Hakyung also tied for the peer award and helped the @berkeleylab.lbl.gov contingent bring the team award trophy back to the Lab. 🥉🏆🙌

The @jbei.lbl.gov Framework for AI-driven Biomanufacturing (JFAB) connects computational models, automated experimental infrastructure, and an optimized data management ecosystem to accelerate design-build-test-learn cycles and generate large-scale, AI-ready datasets. Learn more: go.lbl.gov/JFAB

Excited to be partnering with SLAC National Lab and Caltech on a newly announced #GenesisMission project using autonomous discovery to accelerate the design of catalytic processes for energy and chemical production. Read the SLAC press release for details: www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2026-10...

Congratulations to #BioMBIB's Asmit Bhowmick! 🙌

📣 JGI Releases New Strategic Plan: As AI and advanced computing change what's possible in biology, the JGI is entering a new chapter. "AI-Driven Genomics to Accelerate Biological Discovery" charts a course for the future. Learn more: jointgeno.me/stratplanrelease @biosci.lbl.gov

The NMDC will be merging its core, high-performing functionalities directly into DOE-BRIDGE. We extend our deepest gratitude to our core team, advisors, ambassadors and champions, DOE BER, and the community 🦠 🌎 Thank you for seven incredible years of collaboration! microbiomedata.org/faqs

The TL;DR 👉 Even if java isn't your jam, communal breaks aren't a distraction from scientific research; they are an essential tool for building supportive lab cultures, collaborative problem-solving, and combating the isolation of academic life.

Congratulations to Hakyung Lee of #BioBSE and the Advanced BioProcess Development Unit (ABPDU)! 🎉 We look forward to your Bay Area Regional Slam debut in October!

Jack here! I recently met with Kateryna Zhalnina of #BioEGSB to get an overview of a new EcoPOD-centered project and how they're being used reduce ♻️ nitrogen pollution. EcoPODs are fabricated ecosystems designed for large plants, allowing researchers to better mimic how plants exist in the field 🌾.

Today at 3 p.m.: Cheer on Hakyung, Flavien, and  Sora as they take the stage for the 2026 Berkeley Lab Research SLAM. Watch in person in the Building 50 Auditorium (only IRL attendees are eligible to cast votes for the "Audience Choice" winner) or virtually at streaming.lbl.gov. #LabSLAM2026 #NPAW

#BioBSE scientist @jaykeasling.bsky.social received the @uofcalifornia.bsky.social Regents Innovation Award for Distinguished Lifetime achievement. Jay, CEO of the @jbei.lbl.gov, received the award for a career of sustained innovation and visionary research in synthetic biology. 🙌

Our final 2026 Berkeley Lab Research SLAM contender, Sora Yu, is a postdoc in the #BioEGSB Division studying microbiomes and metabolic engineering. She will present her talk, "Can't Move Out? Remodel the Neighbors!" to a panel of esteemed judges and vie for a top-three spot. Go, Sora! 🤩🎉

Our next Berkeley Lab Research SLAM finalist, Flavien Maucourt, is a postdoctoral researcher in the #BioEGSB Division. On Sept 23, he'll give us the outlook for phage therapy as an antibiotic alternative, in just 3 minutes! Bonne chance, Flavien!

The 9th annual Berkeley Lab Research SLAM is September 23. We're pleased to introduce our Biosciences 2026 contenders. First up is Hakyung Lee, a postdoctoral researcher in the #BioBSE Division who will present her research on a "picky, metal-shopping bacterium." We're rooting for you, Hakyung! 🤩🎉

A Lake Mendota time series found invasive zooplankton prompted giant viruses to increase replication rates while maintaining protective DNA mechanisms—suggesting viral-like capability + bacterial-like stability More: https://jgi.doe.gov/user-science/science-stories/broader-sense-evolution-over-time

Jack here! I recently went to see the Multimodal Optical Scope with Adaptive Imaging Correction (MOSAIC) instrument in person. MOSAIC is a powerful new microscope 🔬 that combines 10+ imaging techniques into a single machine, allowing users to swiftly switch between modes without disrupting a sample.

Congrats to #BioBSE researchers Aindrila Mukhopadhyay and co-PI Aparajitha Srinivasan on their funded FY27 FICUS Research proposal! The will study dynamic stress adaptation in a microbe, which could boost #biomanufacturing. www.emsl.pnnl.gov/news/ten-pro... @berkeleylab.lbl.gov @jgi.doe.gov

Jack here! I visited #BioMBIB researcher Aris Polyzos to learn about his team's latest work, which identified an overlooked aspect of Huntington's disease. They were able to draw a link to Huntington's neurodegeneration by looking at DNA breakage; they were then able to reverse it in mice.

Congratulations to #BioMBIB faculty scientist @jenniferdoudna.bsky.social on being named a 2026 American Chemical Society @acs.org fellow! 🎉

Researchers at Berkeley Lab and collaborating institutions developed a reconfigurable microscope that consolidates more than ten imaging techniques into one instrument. It processes its massive datasets using nersc.bsky.social + computational tools developed by #BioMBIB's Gokul Upadhyayula.

Jack Here! I met with #BioEGSB researcher Laura Cook to learn about her team's work to uncover the underlying mechanisms behind how faces 🐔 🐭 are structured. Laura's team is focused on studying enhancers—regions of genetic information that control when, where, and how much of a gene is expressed.🧬

Jack here! To learn how researchers are upcycling ♻️ the industrial paper byproduct lignin, I visited Ning Sun at the Advanced BioProcess Development Unit (ABPDU). Lignin is a major waste 🔥 product from paper; Ning's team developed a method to convert it into useful chemicals (benzylamines). ✨

"[Sorghum is] grown in some of the most challenging environments in the world, which I think is pretty interesting, often where heat, drought, poor soils, and limited inputs are real constraints." Nadia Shakoor, @danforthcenter.bsky.social #genomics @jgi.doe.gov @berkeleylab.lbl.gov

Can we hack photosynthesis to fight climate change? 🌱 A review co-authored by #BioMBIB's Kris Niyogi maps out how genome-edited crops could become a cornerstone of global carbon management through enhanced carbon sequestration! Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s44...

A hidden treasure lies within lignin—every year 100 million tons of lignin is produced, yet most of it is wasted. Researchers at @berkeleylab.lbl.gov developed a scalable method for turning lignin into benzylamines, chemicals used in the production of dye, fertilizer, pesticide, and pharmaceuticals

We are excited to see so many familiar faces among the recipients of the @jgi.doe.gov - @molecularfoundry.lbl.gov Critical Minerals & Materials call. We are looking forward to writing about all of your great discoveries! @berkeleylab.lbl.gov

Jack here! I toured the SIBYLS Beamline at the @als.lbl.gov with #BioMBIB researcher Scott Classen. Scott is working on  BilboMD, a computational platform for predicting protein structures based off real world X-ray data. The website is free, making it super easy for other researchers to use.✨