About Us

Christer Jansson, Ph.D. (Lead-Principal Investigator, FOLIUM), a Professor, and Senior Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories in Berkeley California, is a plant biochemist with a background in photosynthesis and metabolic and genetic regulation in plants and photosynthetic bacteria, called cyanobacteria. He also currently heads projects aimed at engineering cyanobacteria to produce and secrete hydrocarbon biofuels. Prior to this, Dr. Jansson was the Head of Department at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, Sweden. He is a scientific advisor for the start-up bioenergy company Kiverdi, Inc.

Tasios Melis, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley Lead PI), a UC Berkeley Professor and LBNL Faculty Biologist, is a biochemist with expertise in bioenergy, photosynthesis, and metabolism. The Melis lab pioneered the concept of “Photosynthetic Biofuels”, which involves the direct application of photosynthesis to generate fuels and chemicals. His laboratory was the first to show how to divert the natural flow of photosynthesis in microalgae to generate hydrogen gas. More recently they pioneered the concept of the renewable generation of isoprene hydrocarbons, derived entirely from sunlight, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O).

Peggy G. Lemaux, Ph.D. (Co-PI), a member of the Faculty at UC Berkeley and a statewide Cooperative Extension Specialist, is recognized worldwide for her successful efforts in the genetic engineering of plants, particularly cereal crops. The Lemaux lab has published broadly in this area and in the application of these technologies to create value-added crops. Lemaux has numerous issued patents, several of which are licensed to companies. Prior to her UCB position, she performed research in algal biology. She has an active outreach program to reach growers and consumers regarding agriculture, foods and technology.

Krishna K. Niyogi, Ph.D. (Co-PI), a UC Berkeley Professor and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, is an expert on photosynthesis and plant molecular biology. His lab studies how plants regulate photosynthesis to get rid of the excess sunlight they absorb, which can cause damage to the photosynthetic machinery. He teaches lecture and laboratory courses on the biology of algae and on photosynthesis, and is actively involved in algal biology outreach. He is also a scientific advisor for the biotechnology company, Aurora Algae, Inc.

David Wemmer, Ph.D. (Co-PI), a UC Berkeley Professor, works in analytical chemistry and structural biology using spectroscopy methods, particularly NMR that exploits magnetic properties of atomic nuclei. This method allows identification and quantification of compounds present in samples, for example in cell extracts from plant tissues. It can also be used for tracing flux of stable isotopes, such as carbon-13, through metabolic pathways. He participated in early studies of plant metabolism using NMR and more recently in tracking changes in metabolic systems in bacteria. He is responsible for the campus high-field bioNMR facility, and collaborates extensively on applications of NMR in biological systems.

Cheryl Kerfeld, Ph.D. (Co-PI) is Head of the Structural Genomics and Bioinformatics Education Programs at the DOE Joint Genome Institute and Adjunct Associate Professor at UC Berkeley. Her research group focuses on bioengineering of the aquatic, photosynthetic bacteria, called cyanobacteria, to protect them from the damages of excess light and on studying CO₂-concentrating mechanisms. She is leading the most comprehensive effort aimed at the genome sequencing of these photosynthetic bacteria and is involved in the analysis of some of the 50 different genetically diverse of these genomes.

Ling Yuan, Ph.D. (Kentucky Tobacco Research & Development Center Lead PI) is Research Director of KTRDC and Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky. He coordinates research programs at the Center that are involved in studying the genomics of tobacco and developing novel systems to express introduced genes and to identify innovative uses of tobacco. His research group focuses on engineering enzymes involved in the conversion of plant resources into biomass and characterizing the function of factors involved in regulating the synthesis of phytonutrients, like terpenoids that influence flavor and aroma.

Orlando Chambers, Ph.D. (Co-PI) is Managing Director of KTRDC and adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky.  He manages KTRDC personnel, budgets and research collaborations, oversees and provides regulatory support for the field-testing program for genetically engineered tobacco, and conducts outreach. KTRDC has a unique and extensive applied field research program, which has conducted numerous field trials of engineered tobacco, including tobacco-based production of pharmaceuticals and industrial materials and tobacco engineered for improved agronomic performance.

Jonathan Burbaum, Ph.D. (ARPA-E Program Director) is a Program Director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and manages the Plants Engineered to Replace Oil (PETRO) projects. His focus at this DOE agency is in the application of advanced biotechnological methods to the production of biofuels and biologically based feedstocks that can be used to produce biofuels. Prior to joining ARPA-E, Burbaum was a consultant for a San Diego-based biotechnology firm focusing on realizing value from novel technologies, products, and commercial strategies. He is the founder of two companies, Azure Therapeutics and Gnosys Consulting.

Copyright © 2013