Manasa Gadde

Divisions

Biological Systems and Engineering

• BioEngineering & BioMedical Sciences

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the development of advanced cellular models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying disease and infection pathogenesis.

Divisions

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Molecular EcoSystems Biology

Biography

Cat Adams is a fungal ecologist interested in how chemistry such as toxins, light, or fragrances drive interactions between fungi and other living things. She earned her BS from the University of Washington in Biology with emphasis on Ecology and Evolution. For her Master’s at Harvard she studied how fungal seed pathogens of wild chili peppers evolved tolerance to spice. Her PhD at Cal examined the role of toxins in the invasion success of the death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides. Her postdoctoral research examined how fragrances made by a plant root-associated fungus impact their friendly neighborhood bacteria. Cat is excited to join the Northen lab and learn more about mycorrhizal fungi!

Cat also enjoys embroidery, acrylic pour painting, and metal music.

Research Interests

Chemistry, ecology, fungi, mushrooms, signalling, soil, and toxins.

Divisions

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Comparative and Functional Genomics

Research Interests

Piya is a team member of the DOE BRaVE-funded Phage Foundry project for systematic characterization of phages and phage-tail like bacteriocins as a powerful countermeasure to tackle the antimicrobial resistance pandemic. He is currently interested in identifying factors that modulate interactions between phages and pathogenic bacteria so that machine learning tools can be employed to predict interaction between novel phages and their bacterial hosts. He is applying CRISPR and Dubseq technologies to study how genes affect fitness in the context of phage infection.

Divisions

Biological Systems and Engineering

• BioEngineering & BioMedical Sciences

Divisions

Biological Systems and Engineering

• Biodesign

Research Interests

Research areas include CO2 bioconversion, carbon optimized biological systems, hydrogen biotechnology, and sustainable aviation fuels.

Divisions

Earth & Environmental Sciences Area

Secondary Affiliation:

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Molecular EcoSystems Biology

Research Interests

Kolby Jardine studies plant and microbial metabolism by working at the interface of biochemistry, ecology, and atmospheric sciences (Biochemical Ecology).

The primary goal of the research is to characterize quantitative relationships between biochemical, optical, and volatile organic signals emitted by plants during climate extremes in order to characterize processes and mechanisms of potentially high global importance. This presents exciting opportunities for the development of new methods for the continuous local and global monitoring of the physiological, energetic, and oxidative status of plants and ecosystems and their associated cycling of carbon and water.

Field, greenhouse, and laboratory methods are developed for the quantification of carbon dioxide and gas-phase volatile organic compound concentrations, fluxes, and isotopic composition from leaves to ecosystems and seconds to seasons. Methods include IR spectrometry, proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS).

Divisions

Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging

• Cellular and Tissue Imaging

Research Interests

Professor Schepartz’s research group is interested in questions that span the chemistry-biology continuum. We seek to establish new knowledge about the chemistry of complex cellular processes and apply this knowledge to design or discover molecules–both small and large–with unique or useful properties. We apply the tools of organic synthesis, biochemistry, biophysics, and structural, molecular, and synthetic biology in our work. Current projects focus on (1) repurposing the ribosome to biosynthesize sequence-defined chemical polymers and polyketides; (2) exploring and improving novel tools for trafficking proteins to the cytosol and nucleus for therapeutic applications; (3) understanding the mechanism by which chemical information is transported through cellular membranes; and (4) developing new probes and fluorophores to image organelle dynamics at super-resolution for highly extended times and in multiple colors.

Divisions

Biological Systems and Engineering

• Biodesign

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

• Joint Bioenergy Institute
  

Divisions

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Molecular EcoSystems Biology

Research Interests

The role of microorganisms in the rhizosphere priming of soil organic matter decomposition

I am interested in physiological, biochemical and evolutionary aspects of plant-microbial interactions and how these interactions mediate biogeochemical cycles. Plant-soil-microbial crosstalk is operated through complex nutrient exchanges, where plant-released exudates can be consumed by rhizosphere communities. This can mediate microbial metabolism triggering microbial response that may be involved in nutrient stabilization/destabilization in soils – rhizosphere priming. I am using genomic analysis of a rhizosphere community to define metabolic traits that outline mutualistic relationships between microorganisms and plants in soil (e.g. extracellular enzymes, nutrient transporters). I am also using exometabolomic analysis and profiling of exoenzymes activities to evaluate what microbes uptake from the plant-exuded compounds, and how they respond to the plant exudation through release of metabolites and changing exoenzymatic activities.

Divisions

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Molecular EcoSystems Biology

Research Interests

We explore how diversification and healthy soil ecosystems can help agriculture meet its sustainability and resilience goals. We integrate concepts and methodologies from various disciplines to measure outcomes of ecological intensification strategies and linkages between diversification, soil health and ecological resilience. We also study plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere and the ecological functions central to crop production in agroecological systems.

Divisions

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Comparative and Functional Genomics

Research Interests

functional genomics, in vivo transgenic mouse assay

Programs & Initiatives

• Mammalian Functional Genomics Laboratory
  

Divisions

DOE Joint Genome Institute

• Science Programs

Secondary Affiliation:

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

• Comparative and Functional Genomics

Research Interests

The plant microbiome includes beneficial microbiota that provide the plant host protection from pathogens, increased nutrient availability and resilience against abiotic stress. Prior investigations of plant microbiomes have mainly focused on bacteria and fungi while largely ignoring viruses, the most abundant biological entities on the planet. In consequence, the prevalence and function of phages (viruses infecting bacteria) in the plant microbiome remain poorly understood. At the DOE Joint Genome Institute, my research broadly focuses on plant-microbial interactions. Specifically, I am currently investigating the quantitative impact of phage genes on root colonization and the molecular underpinnings of a presumptive plant-bacterial-phage interaction.