Lab-wide Initiative and Multi-Area Topics

POC: Bill Collins

This initiative was previously titled Negative Emissions Science and Technology (NEST). The Lab seeks proposals to explore how Berkeley Lab could contribute to the grand challenge of removing greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the climate system via investigations into the scientific and technical foundations for Negative Emission Technologies (NETs). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, addressing global warming will require rapid and widespread deployment of NETs to remove anthropogenic carbon dioxide and other GHGs from the climate system. This initiative will identify the most promising directions for future NETs research, leveraging the unique strengths of Berkeley Lab. Responsive proposals will act to:

• Identify and demonstrate the scientific foundations for new NETs;
• Find pathways to accelerate and optimize promising NETs with high potential; and/or
• Develop novel systems engineering approaches for capturing, handling, and storing carbon dioxide and it into biofuels, bioproducts, and biomaterials.

POCs: Nigel Mouncey, Junko Yano

The Lab seeks proposals that investigate, develop, and use technologies to automate discovery science, including through the next generation of advanced instrumentation and user facilities/centers at Berkeley Lab. The proposals may approach this from:

• The fundamental stage: i.e., building out core level technologies and tools to assist with general lab automation
• The applied perspective: i.e., reimagining the application of lab automation tools to research
• A combination of the two

POCs: Junko Yano, Nigel Mouncey

The Lab seeks proposals that build on (and extend) innovative approaches to the management and use of datasets to extend our understanding of underlying science in areas of importance to Berkeley Lab. The proposals may approach this from:

• The fundamental stage: i.e., building out core level algorithms and methods to enhance data science, analysis, and machine learning
• The applied perspective: i.e., applying or re-engineering existing DS/ML methods and techniques to solve applied problems in novel ways
• A combination of the two

POC: Junko Yano

The Lab seeks proposals to develop innovative instrumentation in sensing, measurement, readout and data acquisition that will advance fundamental and/or applied scientific opportunities at Berkeley Lab. Multi-Area collaborations are encouraged in pursuit of:

• Advanced instrumentation to bring unique capabilities to bear on priority scientific research
• Needed investments in technical infrastructure in support of instrumentation