CEE Professor Roman Stocker and Michael Wagner of the University of Vienna will receive one of six grants in the inaugural cycle of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute’s new Emerging Technologies Opportunity Program. Stocker and Wagner will develop a method for the high-throughput sorting of microbial cells with specific functional traits using microspectroscopy, microfluidics and flow cytometry. This technology could accelerate the functional characterization of genes from metagenomic sequencing experiments, one of the Joint Genome Institute’s (JGI) highest priorities. Through the Emerging Technologies Opportunity Program, the DOE JGI hopes to make the most current technology and expertise available to users of its genomics facility to help address pressing energy and environmental scientific challenges. Read a news release.