Now on the homepage is the exciting news that Martin Jonikas, whose research investigates a tiny structure in green algae with the potential to revolutionize agriculture, health and energy, has been named a 2021 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, one of the most sought-after awards in biomedical research. Like the other 32 new HHMI Investigators, Jonikas will receive about $9 million over a seven-year term, and the award is renewable.

Jonikas and the researchers in his lab study photosynthesis, the source of energy for nearly all life on Earth. They focus on a microscopic structure found in algae — but not plants — that makes algae much more efficient at turning carbon dioxide into sugars.

“The most amazing machines on Earth are living organisms,” he said.