The U.S. Department of Energy has named University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientist Huang Li as one of 30 “New Investigators” who will receive support to pursue genomic research related to the bioeconomy.
The department’s Joint Genome Institute promotes research to improve energy crops, produce bioproducts, break down waste and keep biomes healthy. Each year, the institute designates a set of “New Investigators,” principal investigators who have not previously led projects supported by the institute’s Community Science Program.
The initiative “allows us to work and share our tools with a widening circle of researchers whose work aligns with DOE missions,” the institute said in announcing the scientists selected. “Utilizing the JGI’s resources, these researchers will investigate a diverse array of projects.”
“It is great to represent UNL and join colleagues around the globe in this cohort,” said Li, research assistant professor of biochemistry and Heuermann Research Fellow who works collaboratively at the university’s Center for Plant Science Innovation.
Li’s research with the Joint Genome Institute will analyze how modified green algae and oilseed crops differ in gene expression level and network. The collaborative project will aim to identify promising targets and components to improve respiration and energy efficiency at the cellular level.
The findings could lead to breakthroughs in optimizing biofuel crops, increasing their growth rate and yields while reducing energy loss and resource inputs.
Li’s research for the project is built upon the work of plant evolutionary genomics in the lab of Jeff Mower, professor of agronomy and horticulture, and closely related to a paper they and collaborators published in 2024 in Nature Communications. The publication described the story of a mitochondrial pathway switch in plant and algal species, with insights into evolutionary adaption that could inform crop improvement.
Those basic findings have the potential to help plants redirect biochemical energy to growth and increased yield via gene editing and crop breeding. As a result, crops such as camelina, corn and soybeans could recover more quickly from stress, maintain higher yields and use less fertilizer.
The Joint Genome Institute is a state-of-the-art genomics facility pursuing innovation for biotechnology and biomanufacturing. By providing high-throughput platforms, expert domain knowledge and integrative solutions, the institute offers investigators strategies specifically suited to research specialties in bioeconomy fields.
