The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), a Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, recently celebrated the success of its latest cohort of Fellows participating in its Early Career Development (ECD) program, designed to build the next generation of scientific leaders advancing the bioeconomy.
The program offers early career scientists from CBI's nearly 20 partner institutions an opportunity to expand their research while learning to help manage a large, collaborative science team.
With partners across national labs, academia and industry, CBI accelerates the development of hardy, high-yield bioenergy crops and cost-efficient, bio-based manufacturing methods for new fuels, chemicals and materials. The work is aimed at boosting energy and economic security and enhancing U.S. global competitiveness in the biotechnology sector.
"The ECD program gives early career researchers a rare opportunity to better understand and participate in the inner workings of a large, multi-institutional science center," said CBI Director Jerry Tuskan. "ECD Fellows build leadership skills and expand their professional networks and science opportunities, while bringing fresh perspectives that strengthen CBI's collaborative environment."
Some current and recent Fellows shared their experiences with the CBI program:
Paul Abraham
As an ORNL bioanalytical chemist, Paul Abraham has leveraged his mass spectrometry expertise at CBI to achieve a systems-level understanding of plants, microbes and microbial communities that can accelerate the development of hardy bioenergy crops. He is also laboratory research manager for the DOE Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design Science Focus Area (SFA) project at ORNL.
"Having recently stepped into the role of lead for a DOE SFA, I was motivated to pursue the Early Career program with CBI to strengthen my project management and scientific leadership skills," Abraham said. During his time in the program, he worked closely with then-chief science officer, Brian Davison, on science communication, prepared impactful research highlights and DOE-facing materials such as the inter-Bioenergy Research Center brochure, and supported major efforts such as the Year 5 annual review.
"Working alongside Brian really helped improve my ability to communicate complex science in concise, impactful formats tailored to programmatic stakeholders," Abraham said. "I also developed stronger project management skills and built valuable experiences observing how CBI management navigated their relationships with DOE program managers and senior leadership."
"The most valuable lesson I learned is that clear, consistent communication is essential for aligning diverse teams across institutions," he said. "I also gained an appreciation for how large research centers measure scientific progress, by balancing ambitious long-term goals with near-term, reportable objectives that demonstrate impact. I even discovered that managing a large project sometimes means managing the little things too, like helping brilliant scientists navigate font formatting."
His advice for early career scientists? "I would encourage early careers to invest in building teams where trust, accountability and candid feedback are the norm, as these qualities drive both scientific excellence and successful collaboration," Abraham said. "This was exactly the type of environment I saw modeled within the CBI management team, and it showed me how powerful it can be when colleagues hold each other accountable while also supporting one another to deliver their best science."
Marie Klein
Marie Klein is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, where she specializes in plant genetics with a focus on poplar tree research and environmental adaptation. Her work emphasizes plant genetics and breeding for the development of a feedstock for bioenergy, and "lots of plant phenotyping."
As a CBI early career Fellow, she continued to build on those scientific pursuits. She also helped organize the 2025 CBI annual science meeting, including planning activities and creating opportunities for early career engagement, such as the early career networking and other informal gatherings, as ways to connect within CBI. She also initiated and is coordinating a new CBI mentorship program that launched in the fall of 2025.
"While working with CBI headquarters, I had the opportunity to refine my management and event planning skills," Klein said. "I also grew in leadership skills and really valued the chance to build new connections across the CBI community through taking on new responsibilities."
"From shadowing CBI management, I learned the importance of clear communication and keeping the big picture in mind - understanding how different efforts fit together into a cohesive, mission-driven whole. I also saw how essential collaboration is for making progress across a large, multi-institutional network like CBI," she said.
What advice does she have for other early career scientists? "Be willing to take initiative and contribute beyond your immediate research - it's one of the best ways to build leadership skills and professional networks. Since collaboration is at the heart of CBI, investing in relationships and partnerships through open communication will pay off both scientifically and personally."
The ECD program gives early career researchers a rare opportunity to better understand and participate in the inner workings of a large, multi-institutional science center.
Katie Mains
Katie Mains is a postdoctoral researcher at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where she works with other scientists focused on CBI's research valorizing lignin - the abundant natural polymer found in all plants. She focuses on engineering bacterial strains to convert the lignin found in woody biomass into valuable chemicals.
As part of the ECD program, she is helping CBI's management team prepare for the center's DOE annual review by reviewing and editing written reports and scientific posters.
Mains is assisting in the rollout of CBI's new mentorship program, introducing individual development plans to aid Fellows in setting career goals, and planning a scientific communication workshop.
"As my ECD work continues, I hope to hone my scientific communication skills, learn how to give more effective feedback, and how to keep a large research organization motivated and on track," Mains said.
Her advice for other early career scientists? "Follow your passion, stay curious, and talk to others about their research! Science is hard, experiments do not always go as planned, and it's important when things aren't going quite right to believe in the mission of your work, so work on problems that excite you! A large, collaborative science center is great for troubleshooting and coming up with new ideas; talking with other researchers can help you think outside the box about a problem and can help remind you why you love science."
Seunghyun Ryu
Seunghyun Ryu is a research assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, whose expertise in synthetic biology has supported CBI's mission in developing custom microbes to break down and convert plant biomass into valuable products.
Ryu's ECD experience focused on supporting the center's DOE annual review. She participated in reviewing reports on past performance and future goals, and assisted in preparing materials for the review, including poster presentations that highlighted key outcomes and ongoing efforts.
"Through weekly meetings, I gained insight into how CBI managed research progress, tracked quarterly and yearly goals, and communicated effectively to keep the team aligned. These experiences provided me with a broad perspective on both the scientific and administrative aspects of managing a large research center," Ryu said.
"Managing a large, multi-institutional research center taught me the importance of clear communication and alignment around shared goals, the value of building trust and collaboration across diverse teams, and the need to balance strategic vision with practical resource management," she added. "I also learned that anticipating risks and adapting to change quickly are essential for sustaining high-quality research outcomes and long-term success."
Her advice for early career scientists? "I encourage cultivating both depth in technical expertise and breadth in collaborations, as impactful progress often emerges at the intersection of disciplines. Seek opportunities to engage with researchers from diverse backgrounds, and don't hesitate to pursue ambitious questions."
"For those interested in stewarding large, collaborative science projects, it is essential to practice inclusive leadership, communicate transparently and remain adaptable," Ryu added. "Success relies not only on strong science but also on building trust, aligning goals, and empowering teams. I was fortunate to develop these skills in the supportive and welcoming environment of the CBI HQ team."
Mengjun Shu
Mengjun Shu is an R&D associate staff member in ORNL's Plant Systems Biology Group, focused on population genetics in Populus trichocarpa. She uses various tools and techniques such as genome-wide association studies, expression quantitative trait locus and multi-omics integration to identify genes linked to traits relevant for bioenergy applications to support CBI's mission in developing hardy, high-yield bioenergy crops.
During her time as an ECD Fellow, she contributed to the center's Year 7 Peer Review by editing team reports, DOE highlights, slides and posters. She worked closely with CBI HQ to ensure consistency, clarity and alignment with review expectations.
"By supporting the peer review, I saw firsthand how much planning, coordination and flexibility it takes to manage a center like CBI," Shu said. "I learned that strong leadership isn't just about setting scientific direction - it's also about listening to diverse perspectives, adapting to different working styles, and aligning many voices into a cohesive message."
Her ECD experience gave her "a behind-the-scenes understanding of how complex scientific programs are evaluated and communicated - learning how to translate detailed research into clear, compelling narratives for broad audiences. Through editing reports, posters, and presentations, I sharpened my ability to plan ahead, design effective slides, and adapt communication styles to support large-scale, collaborative reviews."
Her advice for early career researchers? "Stay curious, and don't be afraid to ask questions-even outside your immediate field. In large collaborative projects, every conversation is a chance to learn something new, and clarity matters as much as innovation," Shu said. "Most importantly, enjoy the process. Research can be unpredictable, but there's a deep satisfaction in working toward shared goals and discovering insights together."
Patrick Suthers
Patrick Suthers is a research scientist at Pennsylvania State University who works with both CBI and another DOE Bioenergy Research Center, the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation. At CBI, his research has included the development of genome-wide metabolic models for plants and microbes relevant to bioenergy.
As a Fellow in the CBI Early Career program, Suthers helped steward the center's annual science meeting, including mentoring and moderating timed lightning talks. He also helped fine-tune templates for presentations and posters, worked on small group breakout discussion topics, and attended management meetings leading up to the meeting.
"I sharpened my skills in organization and time management, including with respect to task prioritization," Suthers said of the experience. "Doing so was important because I also maintained my other research projects. Discussions with others for advice were very helpful and appreciated. I also continued to work on my communication skills."
"My most valuable lesson as a fellow came from observing early on how establishing long-term planning and orderly systems can clear the path to success. During my ECD experience I was able to get a higher-level perspective on the vast number of tasks needed and that well-defined task delegation is paramount," Suthers said. "I also have a deeper appreciation of how each thing that happens at an event, or is part of any deliverable, is there because someone thought about it and worked to make it happen."
His advice for early career scientists? "Reach out to others. Everyone is working together towards common aims, so take advantage of that to learn about their ongoing research, resources and data they already may have even if not yet published, and then explore opportunities for synergistic research. The same goes for communicating your own research so that others, and not just your existing collaborators, know what you are doing. There are many creative ways to apply expertise within a large center to enhance the quality of research and the ultimate impact of deliverables."
CBI is supported by the DOE Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research program.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science. The single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit energy.gov/science . - Stephanie Seay
