This image of a bacterial cell shows lipid droplets on the exterior of the cell wall. The lipids have escaped through a cell envelope that has been modified by UW–Madison and GLBRC researchers to increase lipid production. Photo courtesy of the Donohue Lab
Who We Are
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is a U.S. Department of Energy-funded Bioenergy Research Center led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With Michigan State University and other partners, we are developing sustainable biofuels and bioproducts made from dedicated energy crops grown on marginal lands. Our mission is simple: creating biofuels and bioproducts that are economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
Research Themes
Sustainable cropping systems
Engineering bioenergy crops to enhance their environmental and economic value
GLBRC News
Since joining the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in 2022, Poulamee Chakraborty has authored papers on the legacy of agricultural management practices on switchgrass growth and soil carbon gains, the ways soil pores affect microbial oxygen consumption, and the soil carbon impact of plants engineered to accumulate readily-accessible carbohydrates.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center co-investigator John Ralph has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors a scientist can receive, in recognition of his research accomplishments.