Chris Beecroft, a senior data scientist at the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), was recognized with a Stewardship Award, which honors extraordinary achievement in people leadership and resource management in service of the Lab and it’s mission. He was cited for pioneering and maintaining the JGI’s genomic data infrastructure, thereby ensuring research integrity and enabling collaborative discovery for the global scientific community.

Biosciences Operations Center at Berkeley (BSBK) business manager Eltra Green was a member of the Runaround & Finish Line Festival Team recognized for Exceptional Achievement in Community Building. The team was cited for building a cross-functional partnership in support of this annual event, resulting in increased participation and engagement.

Vivek Mutalik, biochemist staff scientist in the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) Division, was recognized for Exceptional Achievement in Mid-career Leadership. He was cited for establishing the Phage Foundry as a nationally visible platform while advancing team science and exemplifying mentorship.

Biosciences Area Deputy for Operations Nikki Humphreys, BSBK lab operations manager Ariana Hirsh, assistant to the EGSB Division Director Katrina King, IGB lab operations manager Donald (Don) Miller, JGI program manager Christine Naca, and IGB and BioEPIC building manager Naomi Reeves were recognized, along with Earth and Environmental Sciences Area colleagues, with the Exceptional Achievement in Organizational Impact Award for their operational support in standing up scientific work in BioEPIC.

In the Exceptional Achievement in Outreach category, JGI’s Sharon Greenblum, a research scientist, and Yi Zhai, a project scientist, were honored for creating a life-changing experience for students in the Alabama A&M-JGI internship program. Also from the JGI, staff data scientist Rekha Seshadri, staff scientist Natalia Ivanova, and research scientist Stephen Mondo were recognized for the JGI’s Adopt-a-Genome and Myco-Ed undergraduate education initiatives. Finally, for a hat trick, Biological Systems and Engineering Division research scientist Robert (Bob) Haushalter was cited for revamping the Joint BioEnergy Institute’s iCLEM program.

Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division staff scientist Petrus (Peter) Zwart was a member of the Real-Time Synchrotron Imaging Analysis Team recognized for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. The team was cited for building the ALS imaging superfacility to deliver real-time, AI-driven analysis of microtomography experiments.

BSE Division Director Blake Simmons was recognized for Exceptional Achievement in Tech Transfer for pioneering scalable biomass deconstruction technologies and his contributions—through patents, startups, and leadership roles—to translating Berkeley Lab innovations into commercial solutions that advance the U.S. bioeconomy.