For more insights, read the full interview: elements.lbl.gov/news/3q4-lyd...

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

Showers photographed while receiving shipments at the Joint BioEnergy Institute. (Credit: Robinson Kuntz/Berkeley Lab)

Sadiki Showers, a material handler with the @jbei.lbl.gov , weaves his past experiences as a music promoter in the early days of hip hop into his current role. Learn more about the people #BehindtheBreakthroughs. biosciences.lbl.gov/2026/04/08/sadiki-shower...

Congratulations to #BioBSE's Abby Dernburg and Blake Simmons, who have been elected into the 2025 class of the @aaas.org !

Read more: biosciences.lbl.gov/2026/03/27/two-scientist...

We love our new reindeer moss wall in #BioEPIC @berkeleylab.lbl.gov . The design was sourced from a competition of BioEPIC staff and reflects the soil-microbe-plant interaction research performed in the building. (Created by: Planted Design)

@eesaberkeleylab.bsky.social

Researchers studied the crystallized complex (sample shown in microscope field of view above) of the PI3Kα protein bound to their newly identified inhibitor, using x-ray crystallography to resolve the fine details of how the inhibitor blocks a major cancer growth pathway. (Credit: Steffen Bernard/Vividion Therapeutics)

Researchers identified a compound that selectively disrupts a hard-to-target tumor growth pathway and used beamline 5.0.2 at the Advanced Light Source to characterize the chemical interactions critical to its potency. Read more: als.lbl.gov/disrupting-cancers-broke...

Congratulations to Chris Petzold and Katy Christiansen on taking on new roles. Chris will lead the Biodesign Department as Interim Head and assume the role of Chief Information Officer for the @jbei.lbl.gov . Katy will serve as the lead principal investigator of the Agile BioFoundry.

The Rosetta Stone and structural biology have more in common than you may think. Learn how our researchers are collaborating to create AI tools to crack the code of protein structures. go.lbl.gov/AQuaRef

Researchers used a catalyst containing polyoxometalate (POM) salts to break down lignin’s carbon-based backbone, resulting in the production of a standardized source material for biomanufacturing processes. (Illustration by Bianca Susara)

A strategy developed @jbei.lbl.gov streamlines the process of converting lignin, a complex plant polymer, into starting materials for biomanufacturing processes.

Read more about this research: www.jbei.org/breaking-thr...

Accelerating Science with Digital Twins Researchers at Berkeley Lab are building digital twins that link physical systems with AI-informed models to accelerate discovery.

Read more about how digital twins being deployed Berkeley Lab: go.lbl.gov/digital-twins

What Is a Digital Twin? YouTube video by Berkeley Lab

The Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) is developing a biological digital twin to model the scaled production of lipids for jet fuel from engineered microbes. 

Watch to learn what digital twins are and how they can help accelerate science:
youtu.be/UKs89F-RTaM?...

Congratulations to Jennifer Doudna on being elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional honors for engineers in the U.S.! She is being recognized for her highly impactful work developing gene editing methods based on CRISPR-Cas9. Read more: go.lbl.gov/doudna-nae

Kanupriya Pande's group in #BioMBIB has an opening for a postdoctoral fellow to work on the development of computational methods and software for protein structure determination.

Learn more and apply: jobs.lbl.gov/jobs/computa...

2025 Progress Report | Joint Genome Institute Learn more about the JGI's 2025 accomplishments, including research and data output.

Our FY25 Progress Report is now live! We broke our own record by sequencing more than 1Pb of data in a year—on top of serving 2,627 users w/active proposals, plus 17K researchers making use of our data.
🖥️ 🧬 🌱 🍄 🦠 🧪

Full report: jgi.doe.gov/user-science/science-sto...

Illustration depicting how a curated community of microbes found on and around plant roots can help plants better recover from drought stress. (Credit: Celisa Cortes)

Researchers in @eesaberkeleylab.bsky.social demonstrated that a synthetic microbial community, or SynCom, comprised of microbes found in the soil surrounding a plant's roots (rhizosphere) boosted plants' ability to recover from drought stress.

Read more: go.lbl.gov/syncom

As biomanufacturing processes increase in scale, productivity often declines. A collaboration among the Agile BioFoundry, the ABPDU, and Enduro validated technology that sustains large-scale bioproduction over long periods of time, providing insight into the problem.

Read more: go.lbl.gov/enduro

A custom small-batch reactor "allows researchers to explore broader chemical spaces, generate decision-ready data earlier in the research pipeline, and make more informed scale-up choices," says JBEI postdoc Vallari Chourasia, lead author of a study that demonstrated it's power. go.lbl.gov/EsPS

Graphic showing logos for American Society for Microbiology and American Academy of Microbiology. Text reads "Class of 2026 American Academy of Microbiology Fellow." Inset headshot of Emiley Eloe-Fadrosh.

Congratulations to @jgi.doe.gov & @microbiomedata.org's @emileyeloe-fadrosh.bsky.social on her election as a Fellow of the @asm.org's American Academy of Microbiology!

Read more: go.lbl.gov/Eloe-Fadrosh_AAM

Schematic of a new AI-designed mini-TCR mimic (light blue) tightly bound to a tumor peptide (yellow). The high-resolution crystal structure of this complex, obtained at ALS Beamline 8.2.1, provided fine detail on protein–protein interactions required to confirm the new mimic’s specificity for its target. The precision and strength of this bond was capable of activating a cancer-fighting immune response. (Credit: Karsten Householder/Stanford)

Stanford researchers used AI to design a new T-cell receptor mimic and confirmed its precision for fighting cancer using protein x-ray crystallography at the Advanced Light Source's beamline 8.2.1. Read more: go.lbl.gov/TCR-mimic

Biosciences Area FY26 LDRDs by the numbers: 31 lead and co-PIs, 9 new projects, 10 ongoing projects, 5 early-career researchers, 4 multi-Area projects.

The Laboratory Directed Research and Development program @berkeleylab.lbl.gov produces cutting-edge research for @departmentofenergy.bsky.social and the nation. Read about the Biosciences Area–led projects and multi-Area collaborations receiving funding this cycle: go.lbl.gov/bsafy26ldrds

Moving and inspirational words from #BioBSE secondary appointee Corinne Scown about why she does what she does. Thank you for sharing your story!

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

#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

Delighted to be partnering with Argonne, Oak Ridge, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories on OPAL!

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.

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

A hand wearing a purple protective glove pipettes solution into the port of a fabricated ecosystem (EcoFAB 2.0), a clear plastic box approximately the size of a take-out container, in which a small plant can be seen growing. (Credit: Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)

A global study showed that EcoFABs can deliver consistent results across labs on three continents, supported by open protocols, tools, and datasets. The reliable, large-scale data generated are ideal for training AI, which could accelerate discoveries in agriculture. go.lbl.gov/ecofab-ring-trial

User-Centered Design of the BioCircular Valley Data Portal with NSJV Stakeholders YouTube video by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

BioCircular Valley is a project co–led by BEAM Circular, Berkeley Lab, and University of California partners to connect food and agricultural waste with the innovators who can turn these sidestreams into high-value #biobased products.

Watch a video about a recent workshop: go.lbl.gov/BioCirV

Headshots of Berkeley Lab's Harshi Mukundan (top) and Los Alamos's Carrie Manore (bottom) against a blue background displaying logos of the two national laboratories.

"We need a scientific method for the use of AI in biology," says microbiologist and lead for biosecurity @berkeleylab.lbl.gov Harshi Mukundan. Listen to an interview where she and collaborator Carrie Manore of Los Alamos National Lab discuss the opportunities and risks: go.lbl.gov/AI-standards

Check out this cool study 👇 led by @cs.lbl.gov that involved #BioEGSB's Trent Northen, Peter Andeer, and the TWINS Ecosystem project team!

BEAM Circular Acquires State-of-the-Art Gas Fermentation Pilot System To Anchor California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus — BEAM Circular BEAM Circular Acquires State-of-the-Art Gas Fermentation Pilot System To Anchor California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus

🚀 Big news for California’s #bioeconomy! BEAM Circular has acquired a state-of-the-art, 130-liter gas fermentation pilot system — a major milestone in building the California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus in Stanislaus County. #ABPDU @berkeleylab.lbl.gov

👉 www.beamcircular.org/news-updates...