1. Berkeley Bioeconomy Conference 2026 2. IBMC Seminar Series on the Bioeconomy and Macroalgae Recap 3. International Bioeconomy & Macroalgae Center (IBMC) Second Annual Workshop 4. Blog 5. EBI Recharge Facility 6. EBI Business Incubator 7. Job Opportunities 8. Transition AI 2026 Conference 9. CERAWeek by S&P Global 2026 10. UIUC: Study finds that tweaked synthetic polymers boost conductivity 11. UIUC: Illinois chemist named 2025 Packard Fellow 12. UC Berkeley News: Five UC Berkeley faculty elected to National Academy of Engineering
13. The Fish Site: SAMS scientists hail “phenomenal” red seaweed breakthrough 14. The Guardian: California is completely drought-free for the first time in 25 years
15. Interesting Engineering: US method could make 36 times more bio-based jet fuel with microbial ‘bad habits’, AI
16. UC Berkeley Graduate Student Awarded Global Rice Research Fellowship |
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Berkeley Bioeconomy Conference 2026 |
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The Berkeley Bioeconomy Conference will convene leaders from academia, industry, government, and philanthropy to define how biological innovation can drive climate solutions, sustainable manufacturing, and economic growth. As UC Berkeley launches a unified Bioeconomy Hub, this conference serves as a flagship forum to align science, policy, markets, and infrastructure. |
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Recap: IBMC Seminar Series on the Bioeconomy and Macroalgae |
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We’re excited to share that the second session of the IBMC Seminar Series on the Bioeconomy and Macroalgae was a great success! The seminar featured Kyoung Heon Kim (Korean University) presenting “Enzyme Cascades for Sustainable Production of Ribose-derived Nucleosides,” and it sparked strong attendance and thoughtful discussion throughout the community.
This series is designed to spark research exchange, deepen connections, and highlight cutting-edge work across bioeconomy and macroalgae topics — and there’s so much more to come!
Don’t forget: to attend future seminars and receive updates, you must be an IBMC member. If you haven’t yet, sign up for membership and join us for the next session! |
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International Bioeconomy & Macroalgae Center (IBMC) Second Annual Workshop |
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Michele Stanley, Professor in Marine Biotechnology, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), and her research colleagues will be hosting this year’s second annual IBMC Workshop. The workshop is scheduled for June 10–12, 2026 in Oban, Scotland. More details and information will be shared soon.
To make travel more efficient for international participants, we have aligned the second IBMC workshop with the 15th International Seaweed Agriculture Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, scheduled for June 16–18, 2026. |
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A new blog post is coming soon. David will share fresh insights and thoughtful perspectives drawn from his latest work, travel, and experience. Readers can look forward to engaging analysis and practical takeaways that reflect his deep expertise and ongoing contributions to the field. |
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The University of California San Diego invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This position will be filled at the Assistant Professor level. They are seeking a motivated, broad-thinking scientist and educator to establish a vigorous research program and provide intellectual leadership in their field while complementing existing expertise at SIO and other UC San Diego departments. Approximately 200 principal investigators at SIO work to protect the planet by researching our oceans, Earth, and atmosphere to find solutions to our greatest environmental challenges. |
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Position available for Postdoctoral Scholar — Berkeley Lab’s Center for Advanced Mathematics for Energy Research (CAMERA), LBNL |
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to join the Center for Advanced Mathematics for Energy Research Applications (CAMERA). This role focuses on developing cutting-edge mathematical models, algorithms, and AI-driven tools to analyze complex data from Department of Energy experimental facilities. The position spans areas such as optimization, inverse problems, machine learning, computer vision, uncertainty quantification, and high-performance computing, with applications including 3D reconstruction, autonomous experimentation, and multimodal data analysis. Working alongside mathematicians, physicists, and domain scientists, the scholar will translate scientific challenges into scalable, user-ready software solutions that power discovery at national research facilities. |
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Transition AI 2026 Conference |
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In 2025, AI became the driving force of the energy industry, with tech companies committing over $1 trillion to computing infrastructure while utilities plan another $1 trillion in grid upgrades to meet accelerating demand. As the sector pursues an “all of the above” strategy—ranging from batteries and geothermal to nuclear and distributed capacity—solutions are advancing, but a clear blueprint for gigawatt-scale development remains elusive. Over two days at Transition-AI 2026 in San Francisco, leaders across utilities, regulation, and data centers will align on practical strategies, partnerships, and scalable solutions to turn AI-driven energy demand into economically viable and sustainable projects. |
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Join S&P Global for the foremost annual gathering in the energy sector, chaired by Daniel Yergin. CERAWeek is rated among the top five “corporate leader conferences” worldwide. This premier event convenes over 1620 C-Suite executives, 84 ministers and top officials, and 365 media representatives, with more than 10,000 participants from over 2,350 companies across 89 countries to cultivate relationships and exchange transformative ideas. Dialogue is focused on the agenda ahead as the world enters a new era of energy transition. |
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UIUC: Study finds that tweaked synthetic polymers boost conductivity |
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Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and partner institutions, including EBI-Shell former principal investigator Joaquín Rodríguez-López, have developed synthetic polymers with enhanced electrical conductivity, offering a potential alternative to the expensive and unsustainable minerals currently used in electronics like conductors, transistors, and diodes. The breakthrough, published in Nature Communications, was achieved through controlled chirality and chemical doping, with the surprising finding that increased chirality actually boosts conductivity after doping rather than reducing it. Further research is needed to validate the mechanism and explore commercial applications. |
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UIUC: Illinois chemist named 2025 Packard Fellow |
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chemistry professor and former EBI-Shell researcher Benjamin Snyder has been named a 2025 Packard Fellow by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, receiving $875,000 over five years to pursue his research. Snyder’s work focuses on porous materials like zeolites and metal-organic frameworks, using advanced spectroscopy to understand and improve their function in applications ranging from heterogeneous catalysis to adsorptive separations. |
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UC Berkeley News: Five UC Berkeley faculty elected to National Academy of Engineering |
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Five UC Berkeley faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions in engineering. The honorees include chemical engineer and former EBI-Shell Researcher Nitash Balsara, biochemist Jennifer Doudna, roboticist Ken Goldberg, electrical engineer Kam Lau and power systems engineer Felix Wu. |
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The Fish Site: SAMS scientists hail “phenomenal” red seaweed breakthrough |
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Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), part of the International Bioeconomy & Macroalgae Center NSF program based at UC Berkeley, believe they have developed a successful tank-based method for growing Palmaria palmata — commonly known as dulse — recording biomass doubling every week in their aquarium. The highly valued red seaweed is sought after as a high-end food product with applications spanning food, animal feed, dyes, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. |
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Interesting Engineering: US method could make 36 times more bio-based jet fuel with microbial ‘bad habits’, AI |
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Scientists at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have developed two methods to accelerate microbial engineering for jet fuel production, reducing development timelines from years to weeks — one using AI and lab automation to increase isoprenol production five-fold, and another using a genetic biosensor yielding a 36-fold increase in fuel titers. The research targets isoprenol, which is converted into a jet fuel with higher energy density than petroleum-based alternatives, offering a promising path toward aviation decarbonization. |
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UC Berkeley Graduate Student Awarded Global Rice Research Fellowship |
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Kelly Tucker, a graduate student in Peter Nico’s Lab at UC Berkeley, has been awarded a fellowship from the Global Rice Research Foundation, headquartered in the Philippines. Beginning in June, Tucker will work alongside staff at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), one of the world’s leading agricultural research centers dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science. The fellowship represents a significant opportunity to apply UC Berkeley’s expertise in environmental and soil science to global food security challenges, particularly in rice-dependent communities across Asia and beyond. Congratulations, Kelly! |
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