The Energy Biosciences (EB) program supports fundamental research that will provide platform understandings for future energy-related technologies.  Research emphasis is on plant and non-medical microbial energy transduction systems.  In FY 2009, EB will evolve into two complementary programs.

Photosynthetic Systems.  The program supports fundamental research on the biological conversion of solar energy into chemically stored forms of energy.  This entails studies on light harvesting, exciton transfer, charge separation, transfer of reductant to carbon dioxide, as well as the biochemistry of carbon fixation and carbon storage.  Areas where biological sciences intersect heavily with energy-relevant chemical sciences and physics, such as in self-assembly of nanoscale components, efficient photon capture and charge separation, predictive design of catalysts, and self-repairing systems, are accentuated.   The programmatic goal is uncover underlying structure-function relationships that will guide the development of robust artificial and biohybrid solar energy conversion and fuel production systems, in which the best features from nature are selectively utilized while the shortcomings of biology are bypassed. 

Physical Biosciences.  This program combines experimental and computational tools from the physical sciences with biochemistry and molecular biology.  The interdisciplinary approach provides a fundamental understanding of the complex processes that convert and store energy in living systems.   Research supported includes studies that investigate the mechanisms by which energy transduction systems are assembled and maintained, the processes that regulate energy-relevant chemical reactions within the cell, the underlying biochemical and biophysical principals that determine the architecture of biopolymers and the plant cell wall, and active site protein chemistry that provides a basis for highly selective and efficient bioinspired catalysts.  The goal is to provide basic structure-function information necessary to accomplish solid-phase nanoscale synthesis in a targeted manner; i.e., controlling the basic architecture of energy-transduction and storage systems.  This impacts numerous Departmental interests; particularly included are enhanced biofuel production strategies, next generation energy conversion/storage devices, and efficient and environmentally-friendly catalysts.