This $820,000 project grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports research to develop innovative tools for controlling and studying the spatial structure of synthetic microbial communities. The University of Delaware, as the prime awardee, will engineer microbes with specialized metabolic interactions to create predictable spatial arrangements within larger microbial communities. The project also investigates the use of physical containment techniques to understand how encapsulation affects the overall community structure. The goal is to enhance understanding of the principles governing the spatial organization of natural and engineered microbial communities, which has applications for improving ecosystem health, bioremediation, and biotechnology. No sub-awards are planned under this grant, which has an award period from August 15, 2024 to July 31, 2027.
Generated 1/28/25, 8:24 AM