Achievement

Research by Trainees J. Kim (P. Falkowski lab) and F. Foflonker (D. Bhattacharya lab) holds promise to help overcome current challenges preventing algal biofuels from becoming fully economically viable and environmentally sustainable. Both groups use molecular, genomic, and computational tools to study cell cycle metabolism in algae, the living factories that produce lipids, the starting materials for algal biofuels. Kim focuses on discovering chemical and genetic modifications to increase oil production in diatoms. Foflonker studies the salt tolerance of algae, to identify new strains and/or to modify them to thrive in salty, brackish waters, and to make large scale production “greener” by reducing requirements for fresh water. Both groups have publications in the pipeline and Kim & Falkowski have a Patent Application on their invention “Composition and methods for enhancing lipid production in microalgae via induction of cell-cycle arrest”.