|
1. France Joins the IBMC Global Center Program as 11th Member Nation 2. UC Berkeley Named Top Public School in the Country by ‘U.S. News’ 3. No. 1 Again: UC Berkeley Generates More Startups and Founders than any Other University 4. Upcoming EBI Seminar Series 5. Zilberman Blog- Traveling Across Europe on the Road to a Circular Bioeconomy 6. EBI Recharge Facility 7. EBI Business Incubator 8. Job Opportunities 9. Bay Area Science Festival 10. Trellis Impact 25 11. Learn How To Develop HPLC Methods with EBI! 12. UIUC: Illinois Celebrates Opening of iBioFoundry, National Institute for Biofoundry Applications 13. LBNL: Electron Microscopy Reveals New Method to Make Exotic Metal Alloys 14. Natural History Museum: Seaweed Cells Could Give Solar Panels a Boost
15. Earth Sciences New Zealand: NZ Waters Teeming with Undiscovered Seaweed Species, Scientist Says 16. LBNL: Peter Nico Appointed Director of Berkeley Lab’s Energy Geosciences Division |
|
| | | France Joins the IBMC Global Center Program as 11th Member Nation |
|
|
| We are honored to announce that France, represented by the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), has formally joined the International Bioeconomy & Macroalgae Center (IBMC) Global Center Program, becoming its 11th member nation.
This significant milestone was marked during the Science Beyond Borders event held in San Francisco on September 19, an initiative organized by the Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy. During the event, Professor John Coates, Director of both the Energy & Biosciences Institute (EBI) and the IBMC, received an official letter of partnership from Jan Matas, Director of the CNRS Office in Washington, D.C.
The inclusion of CNRS—one of the world’s foremost public research organizations—further strengthens IBMC’s international consortium of leading institutions dedicated to advancing macroalgae research, innovation, and workforce development. This partnership underscores the IBMC’s commitment to fostering a globally integrated platform for the blue bioeconomy, enabling the exchange of expertise, the sharing of resources, and the development of collaborative solutions across borders. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | UC Berkeley Named Top Public School in the Country by ‘U.S. News’ |
|
|
| UC Berkeley has been ranked the No. 1 public university in the nation by the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, marking the 16th time in 20 years it has earned this distinction. The campus excelled across disciplines, placing first in data science, civil engineering, and electrical engineering, and ranking in the top five in 23 of 43 undergraduate categories. Berkeley also tied with Columbia University for 15th overall among all U.S. colleges and continues to be recognized globally for its research, teaching, and innovation. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | No. 1 Again: UC Berkeley Generates More Startups and Founders than any Other University |
|
|
| UC Berkeley has been ranked the world’s top university for producing venture-backed startups and founders, according to the 2025 PitchBook university rankings. Undergraduate alumni have founded 1,650 companies and 1,804 founders, with Berkeley also leading in female-founded startups, surpassing Stanford, Harvard, and MIT. The recognition highlights the university’s strong investments in innovation and entrepreneurship, supported by resources like the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub and new initiatives such as the Startup Campus book and website. |
|
| | | Upcoming EBI Seminar Series |
|
|
| This semester’s theme, Biomass to Breakthrough, will highlight how advances in biology, chemistry, and engineering are driving the conversion of renewable feedstocks into sustainable fuels, materials, and energy. The series will explore both the science and the broader economic and practical implications of biomass conversion.
In the meantime, check out our YouTube channel to watch previous videos. |
|
| | | | Traveling Across Europe on the Road to a Circular Bioeconomy |
|
| | EBI’s Executive Committee member David Zilberman has released a new blog post titled “Traveling Across Europe on the Road to a Circular Bioeconomy,” where he reflects on lessons from Denmark, Cambridge, and Brussels about building sustainable, waste-recycling systems that drive innovation, reduce climate impacts, and strengthen rural communities.
Learn about the opportunities and challenges of the circular bioeconomy by reading more. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | |
| |
| | |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to conduct research in the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department. This role involves modeling energy, cost, and analysis. Candidates should hold or be completing a PhD in civil, environmental, or related engineering/science fields. Experience in water/wastewater systems, life-cycle assessment, quantitative modeling, and strong programming and communication skills is wanted. Experience in multi-disciplinary research, technoeconomic analysis, and food-energy-water studies is a plus.
|
|
| | | Position available for Assistant Professor at The Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley |
|
|
| The Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley is opening applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor. The position seeks candidates conducting fundamental research on how plants adapt to climate-related stresses such as drought, flooding, and warming. Experience is needed in phycology, genetics, genomics, physiology, systems biology, and synthetic biology. A strong candidate should demonstrate strong research productivity, potential for funding, and a commitment to teaching and mentoring undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers. Translational research addressing crop improvement or conservation in the context of climate adaptation is especially encouraged. UC Berkeley supports diversity, equity, and family needs, including dual-career couples and non-traditional career paths. A PhD (or equivalent) is required at the time of application.
|
|
| | | | Bay Area Science Festival |
|
|
| Taking place October 25th, The Bay Area Science Festival is Northern California’s largest education event and brings together STEM role models, families, youth and adults to experience the wonder of science. Since 2011, the Science & Health Education Partnership at UCSF has been thrilled to organize the Bay Area Science Festival in collaboration with Bay Area universities, museums, cultural institutions, libraries, corporations, after-school groups, research labs and government agencies. The Festival is designed to engage attention, inspire interest, and ignite imagination across our community. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | |
| Trellis Impact is a three-day sustainability and climate conference (combining VERGE, Bloom, and GreenFin) that brings together professionals across industries to explore and accelerate solutions in decarbonization, nature regeneration, sustainable finance, and integrated implementation of climate strategies. |
|
| | |
Learn How To Develop HPLC Methods with EBI |
|
|
| Curious about HPLC method development? Want insight on your current project straight from an expert?
📍 Where: Koshland Hall Room 338 🕑 When: Thursday, October 2nd | 2:00-3:00 PM
Come expand your knowledge, get your questions answered, and walk away with practical takeaways you can use right away. Don’t miss this chance to learn, connect, and grow with EBI! |
|
| | | | UIUC: Illinois Celebrates Opening of iBioFoundry, National Institute for Biofoundry Applications
|
|
| Scientists, officials, and global participants gathered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on September 18 for the grand opening of the NSF’s Illinois BioFoundry (iBioFoundry) and the National Institute for Biofoundry Applications. Led by director Huimin Zhao, a former EBI-BP principal investigator, iBioFoundry integrates synthetic biology, automation, and AI to advance sustainable biomanufacturing, while NIBA complements the region’s iFAB Tech Hub to drive innovation, economic growth, and U.S. leadership in the bioeconomy. The launch coincided with the Global Biofoundry Alliance annual meeting, drawing 150 participants from 14 countries. |
|
| | | LBNL: Electron Microscopy Reveals New Method to Make Exotic Metal Alloys
|
|
| Berkeley Lab researchers have developed a new way to make high entropy alloys at near room temperatures using liquid gallium. This breakthrough, published in Nature, offers greater control over alloy design and scalability while opening doors for applications in batteries, aerospace, fuel cells and more. The discovery also advances mineral recovery from wastewater, strengthening US energy and materials security. |
|
| | | Natural History Museum: Seaweed Cells Could Give Solar Panels a Boost |
|
| Seaweeds, shaped by over a billion years of evolution, could inspire new materials through biomimicry. A recent review led by PhD student Margot Arnould-Pétré highlights how the structural colours of red seaweeds may lead to advances in solar panels, UV-resistant fabrics, paints and other technologies. By studying how seaweeds capture light and protect themselves from the Sun, researchers hope to unlock innovations in green energy and materials science. The findings were published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. |
|
| | | | Earth Sciences New Zealand: NZ Waters Teeming with Undiscovered Seaweed Species, Scientist Says |
|
| Dr. Roberta D’Archino of Earth Sciences New Zealand has discovered a dozen new native red seaweeds and four new genera, adding to her record of 27 species and 13 genera described over 20 years of research. Her work highlights the immense but underexplored diversity of Aotearoa’s coastal waters, from subtropical to subantarctic ecosystems. Seaweeds are critical for marine habitats, carbon capture and oxygen production, yet many species remain undescribed. D’Archino’s detective work with historic and modern specimens underscores how much is still unknown about these vital organisms and the urgency of documenting them to guide conservation. |
|
| | | LBNL: Peter Nico Appointed Director of Berkeley Lab’s Energy Geosciences Division |
|
| Peter Nico, an EBI-Shell Principal Investigator and soil and environmental biogeochemist with 20 years at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has been selected to serve as the new leader of the Energy Geosciences Division (EGD) in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Nico has studied everything from how contaminants move through the environment to how soils and rocks break down. His broad research background has guided his leadership as department head and deputy director, and will continue to shape his vision for the division’s future. |
|
| | | Follow the EBI on social media by clicking the icons below! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|