Joint Genome Institute

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) is a national user facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The JGI consists of 225 researchers and support staff in the Integrative Genomics Building in Berkeley, California. Our location at the IGB fosters team science and collaboration with partner organizations such as the [**DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase**](https://www.kbase.us/ "(opens in a new window)") and the [**National Microbiome Data Collective.**](https://microbiomedata.org/ "(opens in a new window)") About Us The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) is a high-throughput AI-centric genomic science [user facility](https://www.energy.gov/science/office-science-user-facilities "(opens in a new window)") located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ([Berkeley Lab](http://www.lbl.gov/ "(opens in a new window)")), and part of the [Biosciences Area.](https://biosciences.lbl.gov/ "(opens in a new window)") The JGI is focused on supporting the DOE missions in energy and biotechnology through analyzing and harnessing genomic information from plants, fungi, algae, non-medical microbes, microbial communities, and other relevant organisms. We provide access to large-scale datasets and analysis tools for genomes, metagenomes, and metabolomics through its data portals. Supported by the DOE Office of Science's Biological and Environmental Research program, the JGI integrates the genomic capabilities of four partner institutions: Berkeley Lab, [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory](http://www.llnl.gov/ "(opens in a new window)"), the [HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology](http://www.hudsonalpha.org/ "(opens in a new window)"), and the Arizona Genomics Institute. We are located in the [Integrative Genomics Building](https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2019/06/19/celebrating-the-igb/ "(opens in a new window)") in the heart of the Berkeley Lab campus, atop the hills above Berkeley, California and operated by the [University of California](http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/ "(opens in a new window)") for the [U.S. Department of Energy.](http://www.doe.gov/) JGI History The JGI was created in 1997 to unite the expertise and resources in DNA sequencing, informatics, and technology development pioneered at the U.S. DOE genome centers at [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory](https://www.lbl.gov/ "(opens in a new window)"), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1999, [to accelerate the completion of DOE's commitment to the Human Genome Project](http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml "(opens in a new window)"), the University of California, which manages Berkeley Lab, leased laboratory and office space in a light industrial park in Walnut Creek, California, to consolidate activities. The significant economies of scale achieved in doing so enabled the JGI to be the first to publish the sequence analysis of the target chromosomes 5, 16, and 19, in the journal *Nature*. Following this accomplishment, the JGI went on to advance basic science by sequencing scores of microbial species as well as several model organisms and contributing this information freely to the public databases. In 2004, the JGI established itself as a national user facility, and has grown to serve a worldwide community of more than 2,000 primary users-those who apply for JGI resources and are engaged in active projects-each year. In addition, several thousand data users worldwide download millions of files. The vast majority of JGI proposals are supported under the auspices of our Community Science Program, characterize organisms (plants and microbes) relevant to the DOE science mission areas of bioenergy and environmental microbiome processes. Among the JGI's largest dedicated partnerships are the [DOE Bioenergy Research Centers](https://genomicscience.energy.gov/centers/ "(opens in a new window)"), which seek to accelerate the development of biofuels and bioproducts. The JGI continues to receive its support from the Biological and Environmental Research program in the DOE's Office of Science. In December 2019, the JGI relocated to the Integrative Genomics Building (IGB), a home it shares with the staff of the DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase), National Microbiome Data Collaborative (NMDC), and other Biosciences Area researchers in the heart of the Berkeley Lab.