EGSB News

Berkeley Lab colleagues share memories of Stephan Chan, who served as Joint Genome Institute’s (JGI’s) Advanced Analytics Manager from 2021 until his death. A memorial bike ride in his honor is being planned.

Several Biosciences Area personnel are among the 2024 recipients of Berkeley Lab Director’s Achievement Awards. The program recognizes outstanding contributions by employees to all aspects of Lab activities.

Berkeley Lab researchers uncovered a distinctive adaptation that some bacteria use to quickly form protective communities called biofilms, which help them survive in adverse environments. The work could lead to better stewardship of areas with high levels of heavy metals, nutrients, or other forms of hazardous waste.

Congratulations to JGI staff scientist Simon Roux, who was recently selected as the 2025 recipient of the Microbiome Data Prize by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Roux leads the Viral Genomics group within the JGI Metagenome Program, and coordinates the development of the virus and plasmid workflows for the National Microbiome Data Collaborative. He also has a secondary affiliation in the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) Division.

Nationally, Native American enrollment in postsecondary programs is less than one percent, so Berkeley Lab launched an ambitious internship program to help boost representation by recruiting students from Arizona State University to work at the Lab. Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) Division Science Deputy Trent Northen helps lead the program. Meet this summer’s Biosciences Area interns.