Genomic Science Program
U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Science | Biological and Environmental Research Program

Engineering Microbial Communities

Frontier Science for the Bioeconomy Workshop Series

Microbiome Research Cover

In nature, biological systems are shaped by complex interactions of diverse microorganisms such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses living within communities called microbiomes. These collective interactions result in emergent community properties that can be leveraged for beneficial purposes such as bioenergy and biomolecule production. Given this potential, DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program hosted the Engineering Microbial Communities workshop in December 2024 to assess the knowledge necessary to engineer microbiomes, thereby facilitating microbial solutions for challenging environmental problems and advancing the utility of microbiomes across the broader U.S. bioeconomy.

Suggested citation: U.S. DOE. 2026. Engineering Microbial Communities: Frontier Science for the Bioeconomy Workshop Series, DOE/SC-2025. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. https://doi.org/10.2172/2589381.

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