Lydia Rachbauer
Biologist Research Scientist
Biography
Lydia holds a bachelor’s degree in Food Science & Biotechnology, a master’s degree in Biotechnology, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. She completed her first postdoctoral training at the Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies research center in Austria, and joined Berkeley Lab in 2019 for her second postdoc at the Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI) before transitioning to her current scientist role.
Research Interests
Specializing in anaerobic microbiology and sustainable bioenergy research, her work centers on harnessing anaerobic microbial communities to transform a variety of waste streams—including marine seaweed, industrial residues, and syngas—into renewable fuels, chemicals, and biomanufacturing products.
Lydia’s research advances sustainable solutions for bioenergy and decarbonization. She leads projects that bridge fundamental microbial ecology, bioprocess development, and scalable biomanufacturing.
- Anaerobic microbiology
- Environmental microbiome
- Gas fermentation
- Adaptive laboratory evolution
- Bioprocess development
- Biomanufacturing
Programs & Initiatives
Imagine a world where waste carbon emissions are transformed into sustainable aviation fuels, dramatically reducing our carbon footprint and reducing our dependence on fossil fuel imports.
The ARPA-E funded IGNIITE project aims to develop a scalable and sustainable carbon conversion process to minimize greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation sector. The approach leverages the microbial conversion of waste-derived syngas into carboxylic acids as a precursor for sustainable aviation fuels.
Lydia Rachbauer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in the Biosciences Area’s Biological Systems and Engineering Division was selected for first place and people’s choice prizes in the inaugural Bay Area Research SLAM competition on October 28. Rachbauer delighted the audience and judges with her three-minute story on utilizing the microbes found in fish guts to convert seaweed into sustainable biofuels.
Recent Publications
Related News
Biosciences FY25 LDRD Projects
The projects of 23 Biosciences Area scientists and engineers received funding through the FY25 Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program.
Biosciences Area FY24 LDRD Projects
The projects of 21 Biosciences Area scientists and engineers received funding through the FY24 Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program.
Rachbauer Wins First Place at Bay Area Research SLAM Competition
Lydia Rachbauer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) in the Biosciences Area’s Biological Systems and Engineering Division was selected for first place and people’s choice prizes in the inaugural Bay Area Research SLAM competition on October 28. Rachbauer delighted the audience and judges with her three-minute story on utilizing the microbes found in fish guts to convert seaweed into sustainable biofuels.
