An inside look at the National Science Foundation competitive grants world- an ISU biologists perspective

Event
Speaker: 
Larry Halverson
Thursday, April 7, 2016 - 3:40pm
Location: 
2019 Morrill Hall
Event Type: 

Abstract: 

Dr. Halverson’s research program at ISU focuses on gaining insight into the rules governing adaptation of bacterial biofilms to environmental stressors, metabolic engineering of algal stress tolerance and enhanced lipid production, and the assembly and function of plant microbiomes in response to stress and land management. His multi-faceted research has required the establishment of trans-disciplinary collaborations, which has enable his current role at the National Science Foundation. Since December 2015 he has been serving as a rotating (temporary) program director in the NSF Biology Directorate were he manages grant programs in the Systems and Synthetic Biology cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.  Within the Systems and Synthetic Biology cluster at NSF he focuses on microbial systems/communities and metabolomics, programs that rely on big data acquisition and processing.  He is also serving as a co-managing program director for a joint NSF/BIO-USDA/NIFA research initiative on the development of enabling technologies for plant and animal phenomics and microbiome research.  He will discuss life as a rotating program director, career opportunities at NSF, opportunities for graduate student funding, and the important role of computer and information science and engineering in biological science research.

Bio:

Larry Halverson is an Associate Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Iowa State University and teaches in the Interdepartmental Undergraduate Microbiology Program.  He is also a faculty member of the Interdepartmental graduate programs in Microbiology and in Genetics and Genomics, and is an Affiliate Member of the Bioeconomy Institute.  His research program focuses on gaining insight into the rules governing adaptation of bacterial biofilms to environmental stressors, metabolic engineering of algal stress tolerance and enhanced lipid production, and the assembly and function of plant microbiomes in response to stress and land management.

Since December 2015 he has been serving as a rotating program director in the National Science Foundation Biology Directorate were he manages grant programs in the Systems and Synthetic Biology cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences.  Within the Systems and Synthetic Biology cluster at NSF he focuses on microbial systems/communities and metabolomics programs.  He is also serving as a co-managing program director for a joint NSF/BIO-USDA/NIFA research initiative on the development of enabling technologies for plant and animal phenomics and microbiome research.

 

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