Trent R. Northen

Deputy, EGSB Division
Chemist Senior Scientist

Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology

Molecular EcoSystems Biology

Secondary Affiliation: DOE Joint Genome Institute

Building: 91, Room 0250C
Mail Stop: 91R0183
Phone: (925) 927-2827
TRNorthen@lbl.gov
http://www.northenlab.org/

Curriculum Vitae

Programs & Initiatives

ENIGMA
Joint BioEnergy Institute
m-CAFEs
EcoFABs
TEAMS

Research Interests

Please see our lab’s website for more detail on our research.

Summary: The combined impact of changing climate, population growth, environmental contamination, and soil degradation represent one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Harnessing microbes will be a cornerstone of future sustainable agricultural and land management practices. Our laboratory uses mass spectrometry and fabricated ecosystem approaches to study the dynamic and reciprocal processes by which microbes interact to transform the organic molecules within their environment. Through the use of exometabolite profiling, we predict microbial metabolic webs in soils, sediment, and the rhizosphere for testing in fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs) through the use of synthetic communities. Together these studies are providing insights into how microbes can be used to restore soil carbon, promote plant growth, and remove environmental contaminants.

Selected Publications

LinkedIn Profile

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Seven Takeaways from the World Microbe Forum Mini-Conference on Studying Microbial Communities

June 28, 2021

Trent Northen gathered together seven experts who use synthetic communities to get at the key roles microbes play in complex ecosystems, to share their work in a mini-conference at the 2021 World Microbe Forum.
This session and others will be available to registrants for a discounted rate until July 31, 2021. Registration to access World Microbe Forum content ends June 30, 2021.

From the Molecular to the Mesoscale: The EcoPOD Provides A New Way to Link Plants, Soil, and Microbes

June 1, 2021

On May 25, Berkeley Lab and Biosciences Area leadership officially welcomed the EcoPOD to its home at Potter Street in West Berkeley. The Lab’s Deputy Director for Research Horst Simon and Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences Mary Maxon opened the doors of the EcoPOD after Maxon cut the ceremonial ribbon.

JGI Helps Uncover Novel Chemicals from an Unexpected Source: Gut Fungi

April 28, 2021

Anaerobic fungi, which die in the presence of oxygen, thrive in herbivore guts and help them digest their host’s last leafy meal. In their evolutionary history, these fungi branched off early from aerobic fungi, which can breathe oxygen — just like we do. Oxygen is a rich source of energy, and because anaerobic fungi can’t harness it, scientists long held that these fungi don’t have the energy to make complex compounds called natural products. Yet, analyzing the genomes and genome products of four anaerobic fungal species has revealed that this group is unexpectedly powerful: they can whip up dozens of complex natural products, including new ones. The work was partly enabled by the “Facilities Integrating Collaborations for User Science” (FICUS) collaborative science initiative between the JGI and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. Read the full science highlight on the JGI website.