#BioBSE
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biosci.lbl.gov
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!
berkeleylab.lbl.gov Berkeley Lab @berkeleylab.lbl.gov · 2d
Join us in celebrating Hakyung Lee, Adway Gupta, Paula-Marie Ivey, and Mythili Surendran—this year’s winners of the 2026 Berkeley Lab Research SLAM!

Congratulations to all 12 finalists who took the stage!

@biosci.lbl.gov @als.lbl.gov @molecularfoundry.lbl.gov https://slam.lbl.gov/
The image displays the 2026 Award Winners for a science competition. First Place is awarded to an individual for "The Picky Metal-Shopping Bacterium." Second Place goes to another for "Ions in Batteries: The More the Merrier?" Third Place is claimed by a person for "X-rays: Connecting Invisible Dots to Unlock Discovery." The People's Choice award is given for "Quantum Computing's Dirty Secret." The background features elements reminiscent of a popular video game, and a "Berkeley Lab Researchers SLAM" logo is at the bottom.
September 25, 2026 at 11:18 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
#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. 🙌
September 21, 2026 at 6:31 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
ICYMI: @berkeleyengineer.bsky.social's Seung-Wuk Lee, a faculty scientist in #BioBSE, pioneered a sustainable biomining approach using genetically engineered viruses to extract rare earth elements. Read more: go.lbl.gov/biomining
February 4, 2026 at 11:07 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
#BioBSE researchers Jay Keasling and @cdscown.bsky.social are contributing to a cleaner planet by being part of a newly funded project to develop biodegradable bioplastics from domestic biomass. #WorldCleanupDay

@berkeleyengineer.bsky.social
@berkeleylab.lbl.gov

go.lbl.gov/bioplastics
Researchers leverage advanced bioengineering techniques to develop plastics made from sustainable biomaterials
Less than 10% of plastics are recycled. A Purdue-led team, backed by NSF, is creating durable bioplastics from raw materials — reducing waste and strengthening sustainable manufacturing.
go.lbl.gov
September 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
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
Ten Proposals Selected for Fiscal Year 2027 FICUS Research Call
Projects were designed to address high-risk, high-payoff activities within three topic areas
www.emsl.pnnl.gov
August 31, 2026 at 6:59 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
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! 🤩🎉
September 15, 2026 at 8:38 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Researchers at #ABPDU in Ning Sun's group are working on new ways to recover critical rare earth elements—essential components in technologies such as magnets and batteries— from the environment.

#RareEarthElements #bioeconomy #manufacturing #CriticalMaterials #BioBSE
June 13, 2025 at 11:46 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Congratulations to the 21 researchers from the Biosciences Area @berkeleylab.lbl.gov who are among @clarivateag.bsky.social's #HighlyCited2025! View the full list: clarivate.com/highly-cited-researchers

@jgi.doe.gov @jbei.lbl.gov @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social #BioBSE #BioEGSB #BioMBIB
November 19, 2025 at 7:45 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
The Joint BioEnergy Institute‘s Nathan Hillson spoke with the “My Perfect Path” podcast about his professional journey, navigating career decisions amid uncertainty, and his approach to mentorship. go.lbl.gov/hillson_podcast

#BioBSE @jbei.lbl.gov
Photo of a while man with short cropped salt-and-pepper hair and dark eyes wearing a black shirt. Text reads: S2 E 5 My "Tetherball" Path Nathan Hillson Department Head of Biodesign at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Chief Information Officer at the Joint BioEnergy Institute.
July 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
In this 🎧 interview, #BioBSE microbiologist Harshi Mukundan, the Chemical and Biological Technologies Lead in @berkeleylab.lbl.gov's Office of National and Homeland Security, explains how the Lab is advancing biosecurity research to safeguard the nation. go.lbl.gov/mukundan-biosecurity
June 6, 2025 at 3:19 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Meet #BioBSE fermentation engineer, safety liaison, crafter, & triathlete Laura Fernandez. In her work at the ABPDU, she blends her creativity & engineering chops to hone fermentation recipes for startups, scaling up their bioprocesses.
@berkeleylab.bsky.social
biosciences.lbl.gov/2024/05/08/l...
Laura Fernandez, Fermentation Maven - Biosciences Area
Science and creativity are intertwined for Laura Fernandez, senior fermentation engineer and safety liaison at Berkeley Lab's ABPDU.
biosciences.lbl.gov
May 9, 2024 at 6:57 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
#BioBSE researchers Edward Baidoo and Deepika Awasthi are involved in a new collaboration with @carbonbridge.bsky.social that aims to transform almond oil from California’s North San Joaquin Valley into an affordable biosurfactant. Learn more: go.lbl.gov/carbonbridge
February 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Whether leading her team or supporting the work of the Women’s Support and Empowerment Council (WSEC) at @berkeleylab.lbl.gov, research scientist and WSEC vice-chair Lydia Rachbauer balances trust, innovation, and leadership.

View highlights from a recent interview below. 👇

#BioBSE | @jbei.lbl.gov
April 14, 2026 at 6:05 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Berkeley Lab is harnessing #AI for high-impact science. “Intense application of AI and robotics/automation to synthetic biology can accelerate timelines 20-fold,” says #BioBSE 's Héctor García Martín, shrinking the time to create new molecules from 10 yrs to 6 mos. Read more 👉 go.lbl.gov/AIimpact
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for High-Impact Science - Biosciences Area
Berkeley Lab researchers, including BSE staff scientist Héctor García Martín, are using the latest AI technologies to drive U.S. research.
biosciences.lbl.gov
April 29, 2025 at 11:46 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Two routes were taken to optimize production of isoprenol, a synthetic aviation fuel precursor. #BioBSE researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute used AI, automation, and biosensors to design microbial “mini-factories.” @berkeleylab.lbl.gov

go.lbl.gov/speeding-to-syn-jet-fuel
AI, Automation, and Biosensors Speed the Path to Synthetic Jet Fuel - Biosciences Area
Two breakthrough strategies are rewriting the playbook for designing microbes that make synthetic aviation fuels.
go.lbl.gov
January 31, 2026 at 12:15 AM
biosci.lbl.gov
“I want to make everything from a single sugar."
- Jay Keasling, #BioBSE Senior Faculty Scientist, on engineering yeast to make the adjuvant QS-21, an important additive in vaccines that stimulates the immune system

Learn more:
biosciences.lbl.gov/2024/05/13/u...

@berkeleylab.bsky.social
Many vaccines, including the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, contain adjuvants that stimulate the immune system to mount a stronger defense against infection. Producing one such adjuvant, called QS-21, in yeast rather than the native plant promises to increase availability and lower cost. This illustration depicts the soap bark plant and intricate structure of QS-21. Credit: Bianca Susara/Berkeley Lab
May 14, 2024 at 5:29 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
A study led by #BioBSE researchers sheds light on the risks cosmic rays pose to the behavioral health of astronauts. The results suggest a paradigm shift away from DNA as the target for damage by certain light ions, which abound in outer space.
Read more: go.lbl.gov/ure3ga
Headshot of Andrew Wyrobek, a retiree affiliate biophysicist in the Biological Systems & Engineering Division, and a quote reading "It’s a paradigm shift away from the nucleus, away from DNA, away from chromosomes, towards something small and thin" overlaid on an image of cosmic radiation emitting from the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant, captured on NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. (Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration, CXC/SAO/JPL-Caltech/Steward/O. Krause et al., and NRAO/AUI)
August 25, 2025 at 6:02 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
A recent article about fungal dye production included work by @jbei.lbl.gov & #BioBSE scientist Aindrila Mukhopadhyay. Making synthetic indigo is a toxic process. Aindrila’s team engineered genes into the fungus Rhodosporidium Toruloides to naturally produce the similar indigoidine dye. Read more 👇.
July 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Gary Karpen, a senior faculty scientist in #BioBSE and @berkeleymcb.bsky.social professor, is among the 2026 class elected to the @nasonline.org. Karpen studies how the structure, organization, and maintenance of genetic material impact inheritance and cell function.

go.lbl.gov/Karpen-NAS
May 12, 2026 at 6:25 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
A pair of recent studies involving scientists from #BioBSE shed new light on the potential dangers of thirdhand smoke—not just for cancer risk, but for brain health as well. They provide compelling evidence that environmental exposures interact with genetic variation to shape health outcomes.
May 6, 2026 at 7:05 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Moving and inspirational words from #BioBSE secondary appointee Corinne Scown about why she does what she does. Thank you for sharing your story!
schmidtsciences.bsky.social Schmidt Sciences @schmidtsciences.bsky.social · Feb 11
Corinne Scown grew up running barefoot through Sacramento's smoky days. Now she's making sure her kids won't have to.

Through our VIFF program, she's turning agricultural biomass — the organic byproducts from farming — into cleaner air.

#WomenInScience
youtu.be/E-k36CbsCAo
February 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
biosci.lbl.gov
Looking for a postdoc position?
We have three openings on #TeamBioSci:

Mass Spectrometry Postdoctoral Fellow in #BioMBIB
Computational Postdoctoral Fellow in #BioMBIB
Biologist Postdoctoral Fellow in #BioBSE

Learn more and apply here:
jobs.lbl.gov/et/rWgbpVSH/...

@berkeleylab.bsky.social
September 24, 2024 at 5:45 PM