Silver: Photosynthesis, carbon fixation and cell consortia

One of the greatest challenges in biology is to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis and carbon fixation. We are taking several unique strategies that focus for the most part on biosynthetic microbes but also have ventured recently into working on plants. We also seek to understand and create novel cell consortia that for example would depend on incoming light. We also design cells that can interact with signals propagated by non-living materials such as magnetism or electricity from solar power. We collaborate with Dan Nocera in the Chemistry Dept at Harvard and are part of a large DOE effort in this area.