The envisioned BioGEM facility would integrate bioengineering research on microbes and plants from discovery to scale-up for biofuels and bioproducts. This facility would provide state-of-the-art space for training the bioeconomy workforce of the future.

Synthetic biology

Develop tools and pathways for producing biofuels and bioproducts using microbes.

Process engineering and scale-up

Develop, improve, and optimize biological processes at relevant scales for biofuels and bioproducts.

Automation

Automate DNA construction and experimental assays for high-throughput and reproducible experiments.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning

Apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide insights into biological function, identify opportunities for improvement, and design new experiments.

Plant biology

Develop a fundamental understanding of cell wall biology and develop tools to facilitate bioenergy crop improvement.

Design-Build-Test-Learn capabilities

Design biological pathways for production of biofuels and bioproducts, build biological systems, test those systems, and learn from experiments to continually improve biological engineering.

Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI)

Scientist in goggles adjusting small plants in a lab.

JBEI researchers are using the latest tools in molecular biology, chemical engineering, and computational and robotic technologies to transform biomass into carbon-neutral biofuels and bioproducts.

Agile BioFoundry

Nurgul Kaplan (front) and Tad Ogorzalek work in the Robots Room on DNA construction and robotics at the Agile BioFoundry.

The Agile BioFoundry, a consortium of national laboratories dedicated to accelerating biomanufacturing and decarbonizing the economy, engineers biological systems to perform desired functions and produce molecules at optimal yields, efficiencies, and costs.

Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU)

Scientist working at a biofuels processing building.

The ABPDU collaborates with academic labs, start-ups, and established companies to accelerate new biology-based products from early R&D to market readiness.

 Dark-haired person in a lab coat kneels nextg to a piece of scientific machinery with values and gauges. Light-haired person wearing a white collared shirt against a light background.

While the possibilities of biotechnology are staggering, the bioprocess industry is facing a surging demand for experienced people to develop and scale processes that bring these bio-based products to market.

That problem is the driving force behind UC Berkeley’s Master of Bioprocess Engineering (MBPE) program, as well as the Advanced Bioprocess Engineering Laboratory, a new capstone course in the program that takes place at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU).