The Biosciences Area is using science to solve energy, environmental, health, and biomanufacturing challenges. From early-career scientists to operations and support staff, it takes a diverse and dynamic team to make this type of science happen. Behind the Breakthroughs is a profile series that showcases the people who support our mission.
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Hira Lesea, Underground Alchemist
As a senior research associate with Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) senior faculty scientist Adam Arkin’s Lab, Hira Lesea studies how microbes have adapted to survive and thrive in highly contaminated belowground environments. Lesea herself has found a strong sense of resilience through art and community.
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Michael Lubenow, Eclectic Mixmaster
In his roles as both an administrative supervisor for Berkeley Lab’s Biosciences Area and as a DJ for KALX Berkeley radio station, Michael Lubenow embraces variety and applies his creativity to facilitating success for the people around him.
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Hualan Liu, Microbe Modifier
Liu, a research scientist with the Joint Genome Institute (JGI)’s strain engineering platform, believes in solving real-world problems with synthetic biology. Liu is an expert at manipulating microbial DNA to carry out new functions and helping JGI’s user community answer experimental questions.
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Laura Fernandez, Fermentation Maven
Meet fermentation engineer, safety liaison, crafter, and triathlete Laura Fernandez. In her work at the ABPDU, Fernandez blends her creativity and engineering chops to hone fermentation recipes for startups, scaling up their experimental bioprocesses.
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Nigel Moriarty, Wave Wizard
Experimentation abounds for computational research scientist Nigel Moriarty. A lifelong stamp collector and surfer, he approaches culturally-distinct pockets of society with the curiosity of an anthropologist. And applying quantum chemistry and theoretical physics to drug design is part of his day-to-day work writing software with MBIB’s PHENIX group.
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Lorenzo Washington, Connection Cultivator
Tinkering with plant genetics and molecular biology gives Biosciences graduate researcher Lorenzo Washington a window into the complex, messy world of plant-microbe relationships. His passions outside of the lab, like practicing judo and tending his home garden, help Washington greet his experiments each day with renewed creativity and resilience.
