Martin Keller, Ph.D. , Director, BioEnergy Science Center, Director, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Case Study: The BioEnergy Science Center and The Importance of Nanotechnology in Bioenergy Research

Abstract: The challenge of converting cellulosic biomass to sugars is the dominant obstacle to cost effective production of biofuels in sustained quantities capable of impacting U.S. consumption of fossil transportation fuels. The BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) research program will address this challenge with an interdisciplinary effort focused on overcoming the recalcitrance of biomass. By combining engineered plant cell walls to reduce recalcitrance with new biocatalysts to improve deconstruction, BESC will revolutionize the processing of biomass. These breakthroughs will be achieved with a systems biology approach and new high-throughput analytical and computational technologies. BESC will focus on switchgrass and poplar, identified by the U.S. Department of Energy as model feedstock crops for bioenergy production. The presentation will give a summary of BESC and the application of novel nanotechnologies to support bioenergy research within BESC.

Biography: Martin Keller is the Division Director of the Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Director of the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC). He joined ORNL in July of 2006. Martin provides leadership both in managerial and technical capacities for more than 150 scientists and technical personnel. The research interests of the Biosciences Division span a broad spectrum of biological areas including functional genomics, mammalian genetics, bioprocessing, bioinformation systems, genome analysis and systems modeling, advanced biomedical science and technology, bio micro-electro-mechanical systems and micro metagenomics-technologies. The mission of BESC is to make revolutionary advances in understanding and overcoming the recalcitrance of biomass to conversion into sugars, making it feasible to displace imported petroleum with ethanol and other fuels.

Between 1996 and 2006 Martin held a series of research management positions within Diversa Corporation, a publicly-traded biotechnology company in San Diego. Martin joined Diversa Corporation in June 1994 as a consultant to build and develop the microbiology expertise within Diversa, before joining Diversa Corporation full time in 1996. Being among the first 20 researchers gave Martin the opportunity to participate from the shaping of a start-up biotechnology company to a publicly-traded company with a staff of approximately 380 people. As the Director for New Technology Development and High Throughput Screening, Martin was responsible for Small Molecule Discovery and High Throughput Screening (HTS), including microbiology, robotic high throughput screening, high throughput ELISA, HTS whole cell assays, flow cytometry, biopanning, Multiple Displacement Amplification development and ultra high throughput screening development using miniaturized bead technology.

Diploma in Microbiology University of Regensburg, Germany
Ph.D. in Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Germany

9:00am - 9:40am

Dr. Martha Krebs, Deputy Director for Energy Research and Development for the California Energy Commission
California's Clean Energy & Climate Response Imperative: Where Is the Room at the Bottom?

Biography: Dr. Martha Krebs is Deputy Director for Energy Research and Development for the California Energy Commission. The Energy Research and Development Division is responsible for the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program, which conducts research that seeks to improve the quality of life for California citizens by developing next generation environmentally sound, reliable and affordable electricity and natural gas services and products. Before coming to the Energy Commission, she was President of Science Strategies, an analysis and consulting firm that works with public and private organizations to identify critical issues and opportunities in science and technology.

Prior to establishing Science Strategies, she was an Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of California at Los Angeles. She came to UCLA as the founding Institute Director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), where she was responsible for establishing the initial leadership, strategic direction and administration of the Institute. The Institute is focused on the understanding and design of nanostructures and their integration into complex systems with new properties beyond those already found in nature. Earlier, Dr. Krebs was a senior Fellow at the Institute for Defense Analysis, where she led studies in R&D management, planning and budgeting.

From 1993 to 2000, Dr. Krebs served as Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy, responsible for the $3.5 billion basic research program that underlay the Department's energy, environmental and national security missions. She also had the statutory responsibility for advising the Secretary on the broad R&D portfolio of the Department and the institutional health of its National Laboratories. During her tenure, she built international collaborations in particle physics, strengthened interagency collaborations for human genome sequencing, synchrotron radiation and global climate research, and oversaw the advocacy and successful construction of eight major scientific user facilities. She served on the National Science and Technology Council's Interagency Committee on Science and its Committee on the Environment.

From 1983-1993, she served as an Associate Director for Planning and Development at the DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she was responsible for strategic planning for research and facilities, Laboratory technology transfer, and science education and outreach. From 1977-1983, she served on the House Committee on Science first as a Professional Staff Member and then as Subcommittee Staff Director, responsible for authorizing DOE non-nuclear energy technologies and energy science programs.

She received her Bachelor's degree and Ph.D. in Physics from the Catholic University of America. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the Association of Women in Science. She is a member of the National Research Council's Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and its Board on Chemical Science and Technology. She is also a Trustee of the Institute for Defense Analyses. She is married to Philip E. Coyle III; they have four children and five grandchildren. She enjoys cooking and is an avid reader.