WEI co-investigator Troy Runge has been named interim dean of the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Runge is an associate dean and professor of biological systems engineering. Read more: energy.wisc.edu/news/wei-inv...

Trey Sato has received the 2026 GLBRC Service and Impact Award for nearly two decades of collaborative leadership, research support, and mentorship across the center. Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/advanci...

Meet Audrey Gasch from genetics whose lab works with budding yeast, a model organism used to study and understand fundamental principles of how cells work. @glbioenergy.bsky.social

Meet UW-Madison’s Audrey Gasch

“Audrey studies a relatively simple model organism, but the resulting research projects and innovations can be applied to commercial needs in vastly broad areas of biology. She looks for the applications in the fundamental discoveries.”

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Where can a GLBRC postdoc experience lead? New alumni profiles follow Caro Córdova, Brian Burger, and Ilya Gelfand across careers in soil health, animal genetics, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem ecology. Read more: www.glbrc.org/careers/post...

Dae Kwan Ko of MSU has received the 2026 Yaoping Zhang Bioenergy Research Award for his research on plant stress resilience and bioenergy crop improvement. Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/system-...

Poulamee Chakraborty of MSU has received the 2026 Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award for her research on soil structure and sustainable bioenergy cropping systems. Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/zooming...

Designing the Future of Land and Energy: A Systems Approach to Agrivoltaics offers a potential solution to strengthen the demand for renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. Read more: interpro.wisc.edu/designing-th...

Wood density is an often underexplored factor in biomass crops, yet increasing it could improve biomass crops' economics without affecting productivity or composition. Read more:

Denser wood lowers transport cost with little impact on biofuel production

Increasing wood density can improve the economics of biomass crops without impacting productivity or composition and can enhance supply chain efficiency without negatively affecting biomass…

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Study identifies enzymes that could improve isobutanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae whilst reducing unwanted ethanol production. Read more:

Study identifies enzymes that could improve isobutanol production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is able to produce isobutanol, a promising biofuel, but when glucose is available it tends to make ethanol. Here researchers investigated genes from other species as well as…

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GLBRC researchers improve nitrous oxide emission estimates, helping reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture. Read more: www.glbrc.org/research/hig... #CleanEnergy #STEM #Sustainability

Machine learning paired with modeling takes guesswork out of nitrous oxide estimates

Most tools for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from farming use simplistic approaches based almost entirely on fertilizer inputs. By combining process models with machine learning, scientists…

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Sorghum under stress? GLBRC researchers are decoding the genes that help crops survive drought & heat Resilient sorghum = stronger food & biofuel sources in a changing climate. Read more:

Decoding Abiotic Stress Resilience in Sorghum

Sorghum is a stress resilient crop and a promising biofuel candidate. Given changing global climate patterns, developing crops that can be grown in intense environments is vital to maintaining robust…

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Congrats to Dr. Holly Gibbs! She has been elected to AAAS for her leadership in land use & sustainability research at GLBRC. Her work bridges agriculture, climate, and environmental science. Learn more: www.glbrc.org/news/glbrc-i... #CleanEnergy #STEM #Sustainability

GLBRC investigator Holly Gibbs elected to AAAS

GLBRC investigator Holly Gibbs is among five University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty members elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. As a geographer, she studies how and why people use…

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GLBRC researchers model Z. mobilis membrane interactions to improve biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass. Stronger microbes = more efficient, sustainable biofuels Read more: www.glbrc.org/research/hig... #CleanEnergy #STEM #Sustainability

Modeling Zymomonas Mobilis membrane interactions with lignocellulosic inhibitors

All-atom molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the interactions of Z. Mobilis membrane models with key inhibitors, including ethanol, furfural, HMF, and acetic acid. Simulations…

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GLBRC researchers explore how cattle diets shape gut microbes & reduce methane emissions, making livestock more climate-friendly. Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/lighter... #CleanEnergy #STEM #Sustainability

Lighter Fare for Cattle and Microbes

Rebecca Smith uses genetic tools to develop plants that can be digested more easily. The outcomes could be greater efficiency for biofuel production and lower methane emissions from dairy cows.

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New Research Intern position open at the Experimental Fermentation Lab! Under the mentorship of Kyle Probst, this role will be responsible for managing biomass pretreatment protocols and executing microbial fermentation assays. More info: glbrc.org/about/job-op... #intern#job

When is the best time to replant bioenergy crops?  GLBRC researchers analyzed 200+ plantings of switchgrass and miscanthus across MI and WI and found that replanting at the right time can help maintain yields and maximize long-term profits for farmers. Read more:

Replanting bioenergy crops at the right time maximizes profits

Switchgrass and miscanthus are considered good bioenergy crops. They can grow on lower quality lands not used for food production, add carbon to the soil, and be converted into fuels and chemicals…

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GLBRC researchers developed toolkits using Mobile-CRISPRi and synthetic promoters to control gene expression in microbes like Zymomonas mobilis.  The goal: engineer strains that resist toxins and produce more fuels and bioproducts from biomass. Learn more:

Genetic toolkits boost biofuel production

Microbes devour plant material, like leaves and stems from native plants, and convert it into biofuels and bioproducts. But in the process, the deconstructed plant material releases toxins that get…

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New research from the GLBRC explores how efflux pumps can balance energy efficiency and selectivity. The study found that more efficient pumps can expel a broader range of toxins, which could help microbes better survive industrial fermentation processes. Read more:

Energy efficient proteins expel more types of toxins

Bacteria and other microbes can convert plant fibers into sustainable fuels and chemicals used to make plastics, medicines, and other products. But chemicals used in processing or in the plants…

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Researchers at the GLBRC built a hybrid machine learning + ecosystem model that predicts cropland nitrous oxide emissions with >80% accuracy, using data from 17 Midwest sites. Better predictions could support smarter mitigation strategies for agriculture. Read more:

Machine learning helps predict cropland emissions

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientists at Michigan State University have developed a groundbreaking machine learning system capable of predicting nitrous oxide emissions from U.S. croplands…

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Proteus is here. An AI-driven, autonomous lab platform designed by Ginkgo Bioworks, Proteus is speeding microbial discoveries by designing and running parallel experiments and expanding the horizon of what’s possible. Learn more energy.wisc.edu/news/autonom... #AI #machinelearning #microbiology

Autonomous lab accelerates discoveries to harness power of microbes

An autonomous experimentation platform at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center is poised to accelerate discoveries that will harness the power of microbes to advance U.S. leadership in the develo...

energy.wisc.edu

We are looking for a student to join us in thr Karlen lab! Learn more and apply: studentjobs.hr.wisc.edu/cw/en-us/job...

WE ARE #HIRING!!! Work with GLBRC in the TerAvest lab as a postdoc! You'll get to study the bacterium Zymomonas mobilis and make a direct impact in the world of biofuels. More information and application instructions: careers.msu.edu/jobs/postdoc... #job #career #postdoc #microbiology

A team including current and former GLBRC scientists has won the 2025 WARF (@warfnews.bsky.social) Innovation Award for engineering soybeans that naturally produce a red pigment and a brain boosting compound. Check it out! youtu.be/vQX25xfGtaY?... #agriculture #uwmadison #ecofriendly #soy

Soybeans engineered for color and brain health

YouTube video by Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

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We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Sarah Lebeis has been appointed as the next Science Director at GLBRC! Read more about her experience researching how plants can recruit root microbes, survive stress, and boost resilience: www.glbrc.org/news/unravel... #msu #glbrc #soilscience

Unraveling the mysteries of the plant microbiome

Three years after joining the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University microbiologist Sarah Lebeis has been tapped to guide the center’s scientific research. Lebeis, an associ...

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Plants under pressure: As CO2 rises and temperatures surge, scientists at the GLBRC are investigating how to keep food systems resilient. Read more: www.glbrc.org/news/seeds-h... #agriculture #glbrc

Seeds of hope

GLBRC researchers at Michigan State University are racing to build climate-resilient crops before global food systems reach a breaking point.

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Federica Brandizzi is now the lead of MSU’s Plant Research Lab! Read more about this exciting transition on our website: www.glbrc.org/news/glbrc-s...

GLBRC science director tapped to lead MSU Plant Research Lab

Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Science Director Federica Brandizzi has been appointed director of the prestigious Plant Research Center at Michigan State University.

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Meet Brayan Riascos-Arteaga, a PhD student at UW-Madison working on transforming manure fibers into renewable products. Check out his journey at www.glbrc.org/news/graduat... @uwenergy.bsky.social

Graduate Student Spotlight: Brayan Riascos Arteaga

Brayan Riascos Arteaga is a third year PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He works in the Noguera lab, where he’s developing ways to utilize manure fibers as a…

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Audrey Gasch's lab works with budding yeast, a model organism used to study and understand fundamental principles of how cells work. #WARF100 @uwchancellor.bsky.social @glbioenergy.bsky.social https://www.warf.org/commercialize/uw-madison-inventor-profiles/ip_gasch/

The GLBRC’s new workforce development manager, Alexandra Schnoes, brings both scientific training and career development experience to the table, helping shape the center’s future. Read more about Alexandra: www.glbrc.org/news/spotlig...

Spotlight on career development

With a doctorate in biophysics and more than a decade of experience in career and professional development, Alexandra Schnoes is uniquely qualified for her new position as workforce development manage...

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