1. Graduate Student Spotlight 2. Seminar Series Part 4: Biomass to Breakthrough 3. Happy Holidays from the EBI! 4. Blog 5. EBI Recharge Facility 6. EBI Business Incubator 7. Job Opportunities 8. DISTRIBUTECH 2026 Conference 9. POWERGEN 2026 Conference 10. Science Daily: New research uncovers a surprisingly cheap way to farm kelp offshore 11. Natural History Museum: Vital seaweed habitats aren’t being protected by ocean reserves 12. Euronews: Inside the €1 million offer to launch the first Nobel Prize in climate and planetary health
13. The Daily Californian: Berkeley Lab joins national AI initiative to accelerate scientific research 14. LBNL: Science Power-up: Where Biomanufacturing Can Take Us This Century 15. UIUC: Study shows new hope for commercially attractive lithium extraction from spent batteries 16. UC Berkeley News: New book chronicles UC Berkeley’s evolution into a ‘Startup Campus’ |
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Graduate Student Spotlight: Maya Munstermann Awarded National Geographic Explorer Grant |
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Maya Munstermann, a graduate student affiliated with and supported by the IBMC has been awarded a National Geographic Explorer Grant through the “American Keystones” initiative. Maya is a PhD candidate in the Okamoto Lab in UC Berkeley’s Department of Integrative Biology. Her work focuses on how global change affects bull kelp and sea urchin populations and has been pursued in partnership with the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and funded by the National Science Foundation. Her new work will specifically address how traditional management and environmental stress affect bull kelp growth, physiology, and nutrient dynamics. Her project is entitled “Dynamic and reciprocal interdependence: The importance of keystone bull kelp for the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and the imperiled northern California coast.” Maya joins exceptional company as a National Geographic Explorer.
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Seminar Series Part 4: Biomass to Breakthrough |
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The Energy & Biosciences Institute is excited to announce the latest installment of the Biomass to Breakthrough seminar series. Professor Gavin Collins, Associate Professor of Microbiology at the University of Galway, joins us to discuss his work on the circular bioeconomy, macroalgae-based bioenergy, and microbial ecology. He’ll provide a brief look at anaerobic digestion, the microbially driven process that converts organic matter into renewable biogas, and explain why macroalgae is emerging as a promising feedstock.
We hope you enjoy this series and all that it will cover. Please share with students and anyone else who might be interested! Stay tuned for upcoming installments and insights from innovators turning biomass into the breakthroughs of tomorrow. |
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Happy Holidays from the EBI! |
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Wishing you a happy holiday season full of joy, good company, and special moments. We are thankful for our amazing collaborators and supporters and look forward to working together in the year ahead!
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EBI’s Executive Committee member David Zilberman will soon release a new blog post. In the meantime, you can find his many previous posts on the bioeconomy at the link below.
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The UCCS Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Biochemistry with demonstrated experience working with undergraduate and graduate students (master’s level). The candidate will be expected to establish a productive research program in biochemistry, to secure internal and external funding, and to mentor students. The person filling this position will be responsible for teaching core and upper division biochemistry lecture courses (such as, but not limited to, Biochemistry I, Biochemistry II, etc.) and newly developed courses that fit department needs and the research and teaching interests of the person hired. Service activities to the department, the college, and the campus will be expected. |
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Position available for Director of Academic Program – Burnett Honors College, UCF |
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UCF’s Burnett Honors College (BHC) is seeking a Director, Academic Program to join our team! The Director provides leadership for BHC undergraduate research initiatives, the Honors Undergraduate Thesis (HUT) program, and the Inspire Scholars Program. Responsible for all programs and activities housed within the Burnett Honors College Office of Honors Research and Engagement. Reports to the Senior Associate Dean of the Burnett Honors College. The role ensures alignment with university policies, supports robust student engagement, and strengthens partnerships across campus and within the community. The position also meets regularly with students to guide them through research pathways, HUT requirements, and Inspire Scholars mentoring and co-curricular opportunities.
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DISTRIBUTECH 2026 Conference |
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DTECH® is a U.S.-based event focused on transmission and distribution, now including additional programs on Data Centers & AI, Reliability & Resiliency, and the Northeast. The conference covers topics such as grid automation, energy efficiency, demand response, DER management, smart cities, transportation electrification, and cybersecurity. Attendees can participate in sessions with industry professionals and explore current trends and developments. The event also includes an exhibition with over 800 exhibitors presenting products and services related to the energy sector. |
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POWERGEN is a major conference for power generation professionals, bringing together generator owners, engineers, manufacturers, consultants, and service providers. The event offers education through a 10-track program on current industry topics, showcases new technologies in an exhibit hall with hundreds of companies, and provides networking opportunities from breakfast roundtables to evening events. Attendees gain practical insights on keeping units online, managing costs, and bringing new capacity online while connecting with peers and industry leaders. The conference also emphasizes ESG principles, including diversity, inclusivity, and minimizing environmental impact.
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Science Daily: New research uncovers a surprisingly cheap way to farm kelp offshore |
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New research from the University of Maine and Kelson Marine introduces a detailed economic modeling tool that helps kelp farmers cut offshore production costs by revealing how design and operational decisions affect profitability. By accounting for factors like site conditions, vessel choice, labor, and processing methods, the tool shows that strategic redesigns and mechanization can dramatically lower expenses. When applied to a hypothetical offshore sugar kelp farm, it identified changes that reduced costs by up to 85%, pointing to a more affordable and scalable future for offshore kelp farming. |
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Natural History Museum: Vital seaweed habitats aren’t being protected by ocean reserves |
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New research shows that despite their importance for carbon capture and marine biodiversity, seaweed habitats are largely excluded from marine protected areas and receive little direct conservation attention. As climate change, disease, and declining genetic diversity threaten both wild and farmed seaweeds, scientists argue that collaborating with local seaweed farmers could be key to protection and restoration. By integrating seaweed conservation into marine reserves and farming practices, researchers believe these habitats could be safeguarded while supporting livelihoods and strengthening the future of the global seaweed industry. |
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Euronews: Inside the €1 million offer to launch the first Nobel Prize in climate and planetary health |
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Growing pressure is mounting on the Nobel Committee to create a dedicated Nobel Prize for Climate and Planetary Health, reflecting the urgency of the climate crisis. Tree-planting search engine Ecosia has offered €1 million to help launch the prize, pledging the funds without seeking influence over nominations or winners. Supporters argue the new category would honor breakthroughs in climate innovation, policy, and advocacy, and give global visibility to efforts protecting planetary health—an idea many say is long overdue. |
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The Daily Californian: Berkeley Lab joins national AI initiative to accelerate scientific research |
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order launching the “Genesis Mission,” an initiative to unite all 17 U.S. national laboratories, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to accelerate scientific research using artificial intelligence. The effort aims to integrate federal datasets, lab resources, and private-sector partners into a single AI-driven research system, likened to the scale and urgency of the Manhattan Project. With collaborators such as Microsoft, Google, AWS, and OpenAI, the mission seeks breakthroughs in areas like energy, medicine, quantum computing, and national security, while maintaining legal, privacy, and intellectual property protections. |
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LBNL: Science Power-up: Where Biomanufacturing Can Take Us This Century
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Deepti Tanjore, director of Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit, explains how scale up technologies are helping turn biological research into commercially viable products. By combining advanced equipment, industry partnerships, and emerging tools like artificial intelligence and data driven processes, her team is accelerating the transition from lab discoveries to real world applications. The work highlights how biomanufacturing, already a four trillion dollar global industry, can shape the future of products ranging from food to plastics, with the U.S. positioned to play a major role. |
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UIUC: Study shows new hope for commercially attractive lithium extraction from spent batteries |
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A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign shows that lithium can be efficiently recovered from spent batteries using an electrochemically driven process. The method uses a polymer coated electrode to selectively capture lithium from organic battery waste solutions, then releases it using an applied voltage for reuse. Tested on common battery types, the approach is economically competitive with current lithium prices and could support a more sustainable, circular lithium supply chain while reducing reliance on mining. The research was led by Xiao Su, a former EBI Shell Principal Investigator. |
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| | UC Berkeley News: New book chronicles UC Berkeley’s evolution into a ‘Startup Campus’ |
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| A new book titled Startup Campus traces how UC Berkeley evolved from a campus once skeptical of industry collaboration into a global leader in entrepreneurship and startups. Written by Mike Alvarez Cohen, the book shows that Berkeley’s rise was not inevitable but the result of deliberate cultural shifts, leadership support, and decades of effort by faculty, students, and staff. Covering the journey from the 1960s to today, it highlights how innovation became embedded in the university’s mission and offers a model for how public universities can translate research into real world impact. |
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