Igor Grigoriev

Computational Biologist Senior Staff Scientist

DOE Joint Genome Institute

Science Programs

Secondary Affiliation: Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

Comparative and Functional Genomics

Building: 91, Room 336
Phone: (510) 495-8336
IVGrigoriev@lbl.gov

Research Interests

Genomics of fungi and algae, computational biology

Selected Publications

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Ancient Algae Reveal Secrets of Plant Evolution

November 11, 2024

By studying the genes of land plants’ closest algal relative, Zygnematophyceae, scientists have enhanced our understanding of how early plants transitioned from water to land. Through the Community Science Program of the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), scientists sequenced the genomes of four Zygnematophyceae algae, which were isolated from diverse freshwater environments. These led to highly detailed assemblies for three strains of Zygnema circumcarinatum. Published May 2024 in Nature Genetics by an international research consortium led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Goettingen, this research provides critical insights into the common ancestry of these algae and land plants. Learn more on the JGI’s website.

Getting to the Bottom of Fungal Functions Across Earth’s Forests

April 23, 2024

Researchers have pioneered new understanding of which fungi take on certain functions at the forest floor. For the first time, they compared three different fungal guilds in a range of different locations. They sampled soils in four forest ecosystems, extracted RNA to understand gene expression, and developed new tools to map that soil RNA to fungal genomes.

A Biofuel Breakthrough, Courtesy of Fungi

March 22, 2023

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. In this case, the “job” is the breakdown of lignin, the structural molecule that gives plants strength and rigidity. One of the most abundant terrestrial polymers (large molecules made of repeating subunits called monomers) on Earth, lignin surrounds valuable plant fibers and other molecules that could be converted into biofuels and other commodity chemicals – if we could only get past that rigid plant cell wall.

Research Interests

About Biosciences

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