Berkeley Lab Director Mike Witherell has appointed Paul Adams to the position of Associate Lab Director (ALD) for Biosciences. Adams has been serving as the interim ALD for the Biosciences Area since 2021, taking over for Mary Maxon, who is now with Schmidt Futures. Over the past two decades, Adams has played an important role promoting Berkeley Lab’s leadership in structural biology nationally and internationally. As ALD, Adams will continue to advance the Area’s scientific vision and operations excellence while advancing IDEA principles and broadening outreach to institutions serving groups that are underrepresented in STEM.
Christiansen to Assume Interim Area Deputy Role
Paul Adams, Director of the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, has announced that Katy Christiansen will assume the role of Interim Area Deputy while he is serving as Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for the next year. Effective August 23, Christiansen will work with Adams to support the Area’s scientific mission and be responsible for helping to plan and execute the long-range strategy of the Biosciences Area.
Biosciences Area and Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division Leadership Changes
Mary Maxon, Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for Biosciences, has been granted a one-year leave of absence to help advance science and technology opportunities for engineering biology and the U.S. bioeconomy. Beginning August 23, Maxon will work on temporary assignment with Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, as they launch a significant effort to seed the next wave of engineering biology and bioeconomy innovation.
Paul Adams, Director of the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division, has been asked by Lab Director Mike Witherell to serve as the ALD for Biosciences over the coming year. While Adams is serving as Biosciences ALD, MBIB Deputy for Science Junko Yano will take on the role of Interim MBIB Division Director; Greg Hura has agreed to step into the role of Interim MBIB Science Deputy; and Susan Tsutakawa will be the Interim Head of the Structural Biology Department for the coming year.
Susannah Tringe Appointed Director of Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division
Senior Scientist Susannah Tringe has been named Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) Division Director. Over her seventeen year career at Berkeley Lab, Tringe has become known as a leader in the field of metagenomics, and has influenced the careers of countless researchers around the world as the deputy of user programs at the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Tringe will continue to lead the Microbial Systems Group at the JGI and is the scientific lead for implementation of the EcoPOD prototype for EGSB, which is a new high-tech ecosystem chamber that can replicate interactions between organisms and environments in natural systems.
New EGSB Leadership Announced
N. Louise Glass, director of the Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology (EGSB) Division, announced new leadership as of October 1, 2018. Changes were implemented to diversify perspectives and ideas within the management of the Division. Ben Brown and Henrik Scheller have agreed to take on positions as Division co-deputies for science; Tanja Woyke and Chris Mungall will now serve as department heads of Functional Genomics and Molecular Ecosystems Biology, respectively.
Was this page useful?

