This $493,248 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will enable the integration of ancient environmental DNA (aDNA) data into a linked open ecosystem of paleoecological and bioinformatic resources. The grant will build a social infrastructure of aDNA research experts to ensure high data quality, social trust, and alignment of informatics development with scientific priorities. Key activities include extending the Neotoma Paleoecology Database to support aDNA data and metadata, linking aDNA-based taxonomic inferences to standard bioinformatic resources, establishing an aDNA stewards council, and delivering training workshops for early career researchers. The project aims to advance global-scale biodiversity research by leveraging aDNA to study past species dynamics and the effects of environmental change at unprecedented taxonomic resolution and scale. The award is effective from September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2027.
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