The flow-through reaction setup progressively dissolves biomass producing fractions that are rich in (from left to right) lignin monomers, hemicellulose and cellulose-derived sugars. Photo by Matthew Wisniewski

Great Lakes Bioenergy

Great Lakes Bioenergy is a U.S. Department of Energy-funded research center dedicated to developing sustainable biofuels and bioproducts.

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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

Generating multiple products from plant biomass

Understanding and optimizing the field-to-product pipeline

Grad Student Spotlight: Rose Lizzo

A woman in a lab coat and safety glasses uses a pipette at a lab bench cluttered with jars, tubes, and supplies, with bookshelves visible behind her.

A fourth-year PhD student in biochemistry, Rose Lizzo studies proteins that regulate production of enzymes that enable a bacterium called Zymomonas mobilis to turn plant sugars into sustainable fuels and chemicals.

Sparking Curiosity: Sydney Bradley uses art to make science more accessible

A researcher with long curly red hair and glasses, wearing a floral top and cream cardigan, smiles at the camera while seated in a lab surrounded by bottles, pipettes, and equipment.

As a graduate researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Sydney Bradley studies microbiology in pursuit of better biofuels. But she’s not just interested in publishing her findings in scientific journals.