QB3-Berkeley

Jennifer Doudna is named 2026 Priestley Medalist The award recognizes the biochemist for discoveries on ribozyme function and CRISPR gene editing, and international science leadership

Jennifer Doudna has been named the 2026 Priestley Medalist by @acs.org for her pioneering work on CRISPR and global science leadership.

A well-deserved honor! Her discoveries have revolutionized gene editing and transformed the future of medicine. cen.acs.org/people/award...

An illustration of a DNA strand surrounded by faces. Artist: Saurabh Singh.

New research from Priya Moorjani's lab offers insights into India’s genomic legacy.

Postdocs @lauritsskov.bsky.social and @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social traced Indian's ancestry to three main sources. Read the findings in this story by grad student Jules Perez: bit.ly/3IK46vh

Headshot of Usha Lingappa

Congratulations to Usha Lingappa for receiving a 2025 Branco Weiss Fellow!

The fellowship will support Usha's research on algal contributions to soil carbon cycling as she continues her work as a postdoc in Sabeeha Merchant's lab in @natureatcal.bsky.social‬.

Read more: bit.ly/lingappa-congrats

Airyscan microscopy of chlorophyll fluorescence in Chlamy cells acclimated to diurnal low light or excess light taken in the daytime or the nighttime. The cells are outlined with a dotted white line, each containing a single cup-shaped chloroplast, which is outlined in green.

What do algae do after a long day of photosynthesis?

The Sabeeha Merchant lab & @sunnyjoydupuis.bsky.social tracked them day & night. These tiny powerhouses prep for stress in their sleep—findings that could reshape how we see global carbon cycling.

Read more: bit.ly/QB3_algae

Nicolas Altemose (left) celebrating with PhD student, Danilo Dubocanin (right)

QB3-Berkeley alum spotlight: Nicolas Altemose (@naltemose.bsky.social), now a Stanford professor and CZ Biohub Investigator, shares how his time in the Streets lab shaped his research journey—from developing new tech to mentoring the next generation.

📖 Full interview here: bit.ly/AltemoseQB3

🧬 Announcing the 2025 Innovator Awardees!
Proud to support 6 researchers with $90K + resources.

🔬Lareau: CRISPR for retinitis pigmentosa
🧪Hurley: Cancer inhibitors
✨Sherriff & Olzmann: Molecular glues
🥼Welch: Sleeping sickness
🧫Isacoff: Fast-acting antidepressants

Advancing innovation at Berkeley

Check my article contribution for @qb3-berkeley.bsky.social about the Chichancanab pupfish radiation! 🐟😍

A group of researchers lies down on a dock to look for pupfishes in one of the private lagoons around Tulum, México.

Dive into our latest research story, "How my first fish expedition found a species on the brink of extinction."

Read the story from @fishfena.bsky.social, a postdoc in @fishspeciation.bsky.social's lab: bit.ly/QB3-fish 🐟

Thrilled to share that my first first-author paper is officially out as a PNAS direct submission! In this study, we uncovered the mechanism diving polycistronic expression in green algae! Come check it out below:
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A researcher in a blue lab coat holds up a beaker with yellow liquid in it.

This month's interview is with Marco Dueñas! Marco is a PhD candidate in Sabeeha Merchant’s lab in @berkeleymcb.bsky.social and @natureatcal.bsky.social.

He chats with us about his recent paper in @pnas.org, overcoming research challenges, and more.

Read the story: bit.ly/m-duenas

The Andreas Stahl lab members gathered around a table.

This month's interview is with @natureatcal.bsky.social Prof. Andreas Stahl: "The biggest inspiration comes from the excitement of discovery. Few things are more rewarding than forming a bold hypothesis & seeing it hold true—or discovering something unexpected."

Read more: bit.ly/Andreas-Stahl-QB3

Big Give 2025 Be the Light this Big Give, March 13, 2025

It's #CalBigGive — UC Berkeley's annual day of giving! A gift to QB3-Berkeley today supports essential infrastructure like our core research facilities.

Give to QB3-Berkeley: bit.ly/Give2QB3-Berkeley

And check out one of our core facilities, Cal-Cryo: bit.ly/Cal-Cryo

Congratulations to all the new Berkeley NAE inductees, including our collaborator of ~20y and former @qb3-berkeley.bsky.social director Dave Schaffer! Well-deserved and long overdue!!

Single-molecule live-cell RNA imaging with CRISPR–Csm - Nature Biotechnology Single-molecule live-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization uses an RNA-targeting CRISPR–Csm complex to image and track endogenous RNAs.

Single-molecule live-cell RNA imaging with CRISPR–Csm - @doudna-lab.bsky.social @qb3-berkeley.bsky.social @innovativegenomics.bsky.social go.nature.com/3EJPKsM

A researcher in safety glasses and gloves holds up a beaker with yellow fluid in it, examining its contents.

Check out the latest news from @lbnlbiosci.bsky.social's Jay Keasling, published in Nature Catalysis: QB3-Berkeley researchers engineer biological assembly-line enzymes to create new, sustainable products.

Read the story from grad student Leah Keiser: bit.ly/bio-assembly-line

Check out the latest news from the Jay Keasling lab, published in @NatureCatalysis: QB3-Berkeley researchers engineer biological assembly-line enzymes to create new, sustainable products.

Read the story from grad student Leah Keiser:

bit.ly/bio-assembly-l…

The Lucas lab gathered outside on a balcony overlooking Berkeley.

Individual ribosomes and ribosome precursors visualized inside a yeast cell.

This month's faculty focus interview features Bronwyn Lucas!

@bronwynalucas.bsky.social on running a lab: "It’s about equipping the people in my lab to tackle challenges & mentoring them as they develop their own approaches."

Read more on our website: bit.ly/QB3_Bronwyn

A group of researchers sits around a table and looks at a monitor displaying logos for CTEG during a seminar.

In our first story of 2025, MCB and CCB grad student Meaghan Marohn highlights UC Berkeley's Center for Theoretical Evolutionary Genomics.

Check out the story: bit.ly/BerkeleyCTEG

Ahmet Yildiz is our final faculty focus interview of the fall semester!

He chats with us about the @Yildiz_Lab's research, how he faces setbacks & how he went from the youngest of 7 growing up in rural Turkey to a @UCBerkeley scientist.

Read the story:

qb3.berkeley.edu/news/faculty-f…

.@UCBerkeley's talented grad students & postdocs arrive on campus with a diverse set of skillsets, experiences & backgrounds. Check out this terrific story from @BerkeleyBioE grad student Jazmin Isabel Velazquez about some of our trainees!

Read the story:

bit.ly/PathstoBerkeley

An interdisciplinary group of researchers from the @M_delCarpio & @AnnalieseBeery labs is exploring the molecular mechanisms of friendship in prairie voles using fluorescent carbon nanotube sensors.

Read more in this story from grad student Sophia Tomatz

bit.ly/3TVEgXV

We're back with our faculty focus interview series! First up: Leah Guthrie, a @BerkeleyBioE faculty member & @QB3 faculty affiliate.

Read the interview to learn more about the Guthrie lab's research, what inspires the lab's work & advice for trainees.

bit.ly/GuthrieQB3

In our latest news story, @CCBBerkeley & @Cal_Engineer postdoc Sindy Li writes about an interdisciplinary QB3-Berkeley Bioscience Meeting on the “One Health” approach and its potential as a framework for bioscience researchers.

qb3.berkeley.edu/news/qb3-berke…

Algorithms, detection, and the “One Health” approach Human, animal, & environmental health are interconnected. This symposium addresses global challenges through an interdisciplinary approach.

And second: Algorithms, Detection, and the “One Health” Approach

Friday, August 16 | 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Stanley Hall
Register:

bit.ly/OneHealth2024

Multisystem Approaches for Biological Discovery Multilevel System Approaches and Engineering Strategies for Biological Discovery and Disease Modeling Symposium

First up: Multisystem Approaches for Biological Discovery

Friday, August 2 | 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Stanley Hall
Register:

bit.ly/MSB2024

Stanley Hall's newest resident has arrived: Theia! The new @thermofisher microscope on the @UCBerkeley campus will be outfitted with the laser phase plate. Thanks to @TheMuellerLab with support from @cziscience!

Our final interview of the spring semester is with Karthik Shekhar who discussed his lab's research, advice for students, and the value of #SciComm for scientists and the public. And more!

Read the interview:

qb3.berkeley.edu/news/faculty-f…

Check out our interview with Professor Matt Francis: "It continually amazes me to see how creative and innovative @UCBerkeley's students are...I have always looked at this group as a big collaboration between me and all of the trainees."

Read more:

qb3.berkeley.edu/news/faculty-f…

Iain Clark in our latest interview: “The greatest reward for me in science has always been the possibility of discovering or building something new. Getting to explore an idea that no one has worked on before, even if it’s small, is a great joy for me.”

qb3.berkeley.edu/news/faculty-f…

Junk DNA in birds may hold key to safe, efficient gene therapy - Berkeley News New technique for inserting genes into a "safe harbor" in the genome would complement CRISPR gene editing.

New research from the @NogalesLab and the Kathleen Collins lab: New technique for inserting genes into a "safe harbor" in the genome would complement CRISPR gene editing.

news.berkeley.edu/2024/02/20/jun…