Threat Agnostic Biodefense

Dr. Romy Chakraborty is a Senior Scientist and Head of the Molecular Ecology and Biogeochemistry Department in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area at Berkeley Lab. Her research seeks to uncover the underlying mechanisms by which microbes drive critical biogeochemical processes, with the goal of developing innovative, translational solutions to enhance environmental health and sustainable agriculture.

Mukundan is the Chemical and Biological Technologies Program Lead in Berkeley Lab’s Office of National Homeland Security and head of the biomedical sciences and bioengineering department at Berkeley Lab. Previously, Mukundan was the group leader for physical chemistry and applied spectroscopy at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and led the development of diagnostics and surveillance technologies for national and health security. She is a AAAS fellow, and an IF/THEN STEM Ambassador. She is the recipient of 3 R&D 100 awards, among other recognitions for her science. Mukundan has a PhD in biomedical science from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Dr. Frederik Schulz leads the New Lineages of Life Group and the strategic initiative on biosecurity at the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI). He integrates omics and AI/ML to discover and characterize novel microbes and viruses, unlocking new functions that advance the bioeconomy and solve biodefense challenges.