Replanting bioenergy crops at the right time maximizes profits Switchgrass and miscanthus are considered good bioenergy crops. They can grow on lower quality lands not used for food production, add carbon to the soil, and be converted into fuels and chemicals…

When is the best time to replant bioenergy crops? 

GLBRC researchers analyzed 200+ plantings of switchgrass and miscanthus across MI and WI and found that replanting at the right time can help maintain yields and maximize long-term profits for farmers. Read more:

Genetic toolkits boost biofuel production Microbes devour plant material, like leaves and stems from native plants, and convert it into biofuels and bioproducts. But in the process, the deconstructed plant material releases toxins that get…

GLBRC researchers developed toolkits using Mobile-CRISPRi and synthetic promoters to control gene expression in microbes like Zymomonas mobilis. 

The goal: engineer strains that resist toxins and produce more fuels and bioproducts from biomass. Learn more:

Energy efficient proteins expel more types of toxins Bacteria and other microbes can convert plant fibers into sustainable fuels and chemicals used to make plastics, medicines, and other products. But chemicals used in processing or in the plants…

New research from the GLBRC explores how efflux pumps can balance energy efficiency and selectivity. The study found that more efficient pumps can expel a broader range of toxins, which could help microbes better survive industrial fermentation processes. Read more:

Machine learning helps predict cropland emissions Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientists at Michigan State University have developed a groundbreaking machine learning system capable of predicting nitrous oxide emissions from U.S. croplands…

Researchers at the GLBRC built a hybrid machine learning + ecosystem model that predicts cropland nitrous oxide emissions with >80% accuracy, using data from 17 Midwest sites. Better predictions could support smarter mitigation strategies for agriculture. Read more:

Autonomous lab accelerates discoveries to harness power of microbes An autonomous experimentation platform at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center is poised to accelerate discoveries that will harness the power of microbes to advance U.S. leadership in the develo...

Proteus is here. An AI-driven, autonomous lab platform designed by Ginkgo Bioworks, Proteus is speeding microbial discoveries by designing and running parallel experiments and expanding the horizon of what’s possible. Learn more energy.wisc.edu/news/autonom... #AI #machinelearning #microbiology

We are looking for a student to join us in thr Karlen lab!

Learn more and apply:
studentjobs.hr.wisc.edu/cw/en-us/job...

WE ARE #HIRING!!!

Work with GLBRC in the TerAvest lab as a postdoc! You'll get to study the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis and make a direct impact in the world of biofuels.

More information and application instructions: careers.msu.edu/jobs/postdoc...

#job #career #postdoc #microbiology

Read more on our website: www.glbrc.org/news/glbrc-i...

Soybeans engineered for color and brain health YouTube video by Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

A team including current and former GLBRC scientists has won the 2025 WARF (@warfnews.bsky.social) Innovation Award for engineering soybeans that naturally produce a red pigment and a brain boosting compound. Check it out!

youtu.be/vQX25xfGtaY?...

#agriculture #uwmadison #ecofriendly #soy

Unraveling the mysteries of the plant microbiome Three years after joining the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University microbiologist Sarah Lebeis has been tapped to guide the center’s scientific research. Lebeis, an associ...

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Sarah Lebeis has been appointed as the next Science Director at GLBRC!

Read more about her experience researching how plants can recruit root microbes, survive stress, and boost resilience: www.glbrc.org/news/unravel...
#msu #glbrc #soilscience

Seeds of hope GLBRC researchers at Michigan State University are racing to build climate-resilient crops before global food systems reach a breaking point.

Plants under pressure: As CO2 rises and temperatures surge, scientists at the GLBRC are investigating how to keep food systems resilient.

Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/seeds-h... #agriculture #glbrc

GLBRC science director tapped to lead MSU Plant Research Lab Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Science Director Federica Brandizzi has been appointed director of the prestigious Plant Research Center at Michigan State University.

Federica Brandizzi is now the lead of MSU’s Plant Research Lab! Read more about this exciting transition on our website: www.glbrc.org/news/glbrc-s...

Graduate Student Spotlight: Brayan Riascos Arteaga Brayan Riascos Arteaga is a third year PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He works in the Noguera lab, where he’s developing ways to utilize manure fibers as a…

Meet Brayan Riascos-Arteaga, a PhD student at UW-Madison working on transforming manure fibers into renewable products. Check out his journey at www.glbrc.org/news/graduat... @uwenergy.bsky.social

Audrey Gasch's lab works with budding yeast, a model organism used to study and understand fundamental principles of how cells work. #WARF100 @uwchancellor.bsky.social @glbioenergy.bsky.social www.warf.org/commercialize/uw-madison...

Spotlight on career development With a doctorate in biophysics and more than a decade of experience in career and professional development, Alexandra Schnoes is uniquely qualified for her new position as workforce development manage...

The GLBRC’s new workforce development manager, Alexandra Schnoes, brings both scientific training and career development experience to the table, helping shape the center’s future. Read more about Alexandra: www.glbrc.org/news/spotlig...

SWEET success: DOE competition brings GLBRC science closer to market What started as a last-minute contest entry for a group of Michigan State University students has resulted in a journal publication and a better understanding of how to translate science into…

SWEET success! A group of MSU students genetically modified sorghum to better target high-value terpenoids. Read more about the impact of their research: www.glbrc.org/news/sweet-s...
@msunatsci.bsky.social

New model helps ID source of potent greenhouse gas Elise Rivett was researching nitrous oxide (N20) when she discovered a problem with the model long used to trace the source of this potent greenhouse gas. As a biochemist, Rivett lacked a background…

Elise Rivett, a biochemist in the Hegg’s Lab, reinvented an outdated model used to trace N2O- a GHG 300x more potent than CO2. Learn more about the impact of her achievement at

WE ARE #HIRING‼️

Join the @hittingerlab.bsky.social to study yeast evolution, ecology, and bioenergy applications of yeast species as a Research Associate. Apply by August 15 www.glbrc.org/about/job-op...
#research #job

Avery Vilbert receives Yaoping Zhang research award The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center has selected staff scientist Avery Vilbert as the recipient of the center’s second annual Yaoping Zhang Bioenergy Research Award for her work in the lab and b...

Congrats to Dr. Avery Vilbert on the 2025 Yaoping Zhang Bioenergy Research Award! Her research with genome mining has led to a patent on engineering Novo and publication. Read more about Dr. Vilbert’s journey www.glbrc.org/news/avery-v...

We are #HIRING a Research Intern!

Join Michael Botts in the Metabolomics Lab where you'll assay design to quantify important bioproducts.

More information and application instructions can be found on our website below.

www.glbrc.org/about/job-op...

Machine learning reveals genes impacting oxidative stress resistance across yeasts - Nature Communications Yeasts are exposed to oxidative stress during routine metabolism, bioproduction, and interactions with other organisms. Here, the authors use a machine learning classifier to identify genes that are p...

Very happy to share our new paper on how machine learning predicts gene family expansions which contribute to oxidative stress resistance across diverse yeast species:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Untangling the 'Gordian's knot' of biofuels GLBRC hosted a two-day conference to bridge traditional disciplinary divides and define a roadmap to guide lignin-based research over the coming decade.

A 2‑day conference at UW–Madison united researchers across disciplines to pioneer routes for lignin conversion, aiming for low‑carbon fuels and rural economic benefit.

Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/untangl...

UW–Madison grad student honored with GLBRC mentorship award Undergraduates, fellow grad students, postdoctoral researchers – and even her own advisor – credit Amy Enright Steinberger for her support in and out of the lab, which applies bacterial genetics to…

Amy Enright Steinberger, graduate student at UW-Madison, has been honored with the 2025 GLBRC Mentoring Award for her outstanding leadership and microbiology research. Read more about Amy: www.glbrc.org/news/uw-madi...

A Research intern position in Trey Sato's lab is open and taking applications!

The goal of Sato’s lab is to engineer yeast to efficiently convert biomass to #biofuels. If interested, please follow the link below and apply by 7/11.

More details: glbrc.org/about/job-op...

Steven Karlen, Canan Şener, and Jason Coplien have been awarded the first GLBRC Industry and Entrepreneurship Award!! This award focuses on celebrating their startup company called Phenolvation as they work to commercialize technology based on GLBRC research. www.glbrc.org/news/three-s...

Congratulations to @linder-surprise.bsky.social for winning an award for mentoring undergraduates from the office of the Provost! 🎉

@glbioenergy.bsky.social @uwenergy.bsky.social

To make sustainable biofuel production effective, the process has to be resilient to year to year changes in feedstock. 🌱

We found that increasing the pH increased biofuel titers in inhibitory hydrolysates: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@glbioenergy.bsky.social @uwenergy.bsky.social

Graduate student Sam Davison is the recipient of the 2025 GLBRC Outreach & Education award for his dedication to programming and outreach events! Davison is a regular volunteer at outreach events where he builds connections through imagination and creativity. Huge congrats, Sam!

Congratulations to Kevin Myers on being awarded the GLBRC Service and Impact Award! We are thrilled to recognize Myers’s leadership and participation in community building opportunities such as spearheading a weekly “bioinformatics” community of practice. 🎉

Meet Samantha Kelly, a first year PhD student in the Donohue and Noguera labs! Into science from a very young age, Kelly took a winding route through music, math, and environmental sciences, even NASA, before finding her love for bioenergy and biofuels. www.glbrc.org/news/graduat...