MICHAEL SEIBERT, Research Professor
Environmental Science & Engineering
Colorado School of Mines
Coolbaugh Hall
Golden, CO 80401-1887

Principal Scientist
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401
www.nrel.gov/basic_sciences/basicframe.html

Phone:303-384-6279 Fax: Fax: 303-384-6150 Email: mike_seibert@nrel.gov

Education

Work Experience

7/03 - present Fellow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO

3/96 - 6/03 Principal Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO

3/99 – present Research Professor, Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden CO

1/85 - 2000 Research Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver

3/84 - 3/96 Manager, Photoconversion Branch, NREL

1/79 - 3/84 Task Leader, Photobiology Group, Photoconversion Branch, NREL

8/77 - 1/79 Senior Scientist, Biology and Chemistry Branch, NREL

9/71 - 8/77 Member Technical Staff, GTE Laboratories, Waltham, MA

Research Interests

Basic Studies of Photosynthesis
The process of plant photosynthesis produces the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, and important materials for our houses, clothes, and industries. In the future, it will also provide plant biomass for our fuel and more of our chemical needs through a process called "photoconversion." Through photoconversion, these products will be renewable and non-polluting, and they won't contribute to global warming. Scientists in my group are working to understand the detailed mechanism of that part of the photosynthetic process associated with photosystem II, which provides the energy and reductant required by plants to grow. This particular process uses sunlight to split water molecules and supplies us with oxygen (which to the plant is waste product). Our research has visualized the protein structure that performs these basic processes and has measured the extremely fast photochemical reactions (in trillionths of a second!) that drive these processes. This understanding may someday help us improve the efficiency of natural photosynthesis and design artificial photosynthetic processes as next-generation systems to produce renewable energy.

Algal BioHydrogen Research
We are also engaged in basic and applied research aimed at understanding the biochemistry and molecular biology of hydrogenases (algal biocatalysts that release H2 gas); the genomics and global metabolic pathways of the model organism, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, that we have been using in BioHydrogen research; and processes and bioreactor systems in support of future algal, BioHydrogen-photoproduction system.

Selected Recent Publications, Patents and Reviews

Melis, A., L Zhang, M. Forestier, M. L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2000) "Sustained Photobiological Hydrogen Gas Production upon Reversible Inactivation of Oxygen Evolution in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii," Plant Physiol. 122, 127-136.

Chumanov, G., R. Picorel, I. Ortiz de Zarate, T. M. Cotton, and M. Seibert (2000) “Resonance Raman and Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Spectra of LH2 Antenna Complex from Rhodobacter Sphaeroides and Ectothiorhodospira sp. with Excitation in the QX and QY Transitions," Photochem. Photobiol. 71,589-595.

Ghirardi, M., L. Zhang, J. W. Lee, T. Flynn, M. Seibert, and A. Melis (2000) "Microalgae: A Green Source of Renewable H2.," Tibtech. 18, 506-511.

Jankowiak, R., V. Zazubovich, M. Rätsep, S. Matsuzaki, M. Alfonso, R. Picorel, M. Seibert, and G. J. Small (2000) "The CP43 Core Antenna Complex of Photosystem II Possesses Two Quasi-Degenerate and Weakly Coupled Qy-Trap States," J. Phys. Chem. B. 104, 11805-11815.

Kosourov, S., A. A. Tsygankov, M. Seibert, and M. L. Ghirardi (2002) "Sustained Hydrogen Photoproduction by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii--Effects of Culture Parameters," Biotechnology and Bioengineering.  78, 731-740.

Wang, J., D. Gosztola, s. V. Ruffle, C. Hemann, M. Seibert, M. R. Wasielewski, R. Hille, T. L. Gustafson, and R. T. Sayre (2002) "Characterization of Photosytem II Peripheral Chlorophyll Mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii," PNAS, USA. 99, 4091-4096.

Semin, B. K., M. L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2002) "Blocking of Electron Donation by Mn(II) to YZ˙ Following Incubation of Mn-Depleted Photosystem II Membranes with Fe(II) in the Light," Biochemistry. 41, 55854-5964.

Flynn, T., M.L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2002) "Accumulation of Multiple O2-Tolerant Phenotypes in H2-Producing Strains of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by Sequential Application of Chemical Mutagenesis and Selection," International J. of Hydrogen Energy. 27,1421-1430.

Tsygankov, A.A., S. Kosourov, M. Seibert, and M.L. Ghirardi (2002) "Hydrogen Photoproduction under Continuous Illumination by Sulfur-Deprived, Synchronous Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cultures," International J. of Hydrogen Energy. 27, 1239-1244.

Laurinavichene, T.V., I.V. Tolstygina, R. R. Galiulina, M. L. Ghirardi, M. Seibert, and A. A. Tsygankov (2002) "Different Methods to Deprive Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cultures of Sulfur for Subsequent Hydrogen Photoproduction," International J. of Hydrogen Energy. 27,1245-1249.

Kosourov, S., M. Seibert, and M. L. Ghirardi (2003) "Effects of Extracellular pH on the Metabolic Pathways in Sulfur-Deprived, H2-Producing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cultures," Plant and Cell Physiology 44, 146-155.

Semin, B. K., L. N. Davletshina, A. A. Novakova, T. Yu. Kiseleva, V. Yu. Lanchinskaya, A. Yu. Aleksandrov, N. Seifulina. I. I. Ivanov, M. Seibert, and A. B. Rubin (2003) "Accumulation of Ferrous Iron in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Influence of CO2 and Anaerobic Induction of the Reversible Hydrogenase," Plant Physiology 131, 1756-1764.

Jankowiak, R., M. Rätsep, J Hayes, V. Zabubovich, R. Picorel, M. Seibert, and G. J. Small (2003) "The Primary Charge Separation Rate at 5 K in Isolated Photosystem II Reaction Centers Containing 5 and 6 Chlorophyll Molecules," J. Phys. Chem B., 102, 2068-2074.

Zabubovich. V., R. Jankowiak, K. Riley, R. Picorel, M. Seibert, and G. J. Small (2003) "How Fast is Excitation Energy Transfer in the Photosystem II Reaction Center in the Low Temperature Limit: Hole Burning vs. Photon Echo, " J. Phys. Chem. B, 107, 2862-2866.

Yruela, I., F. Miota, E. Torrado, M. Seibert, and R. Picorel (2003) "Cytochrome b559 Content in Various Isolated Photosystem II Reaction Center Preparations," Eur. J. Biochem., 270 (10), 2268-2273.

Forestier, M., P. King, S. Schwarzer, T. Happe, L. Zhang, M. L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2003) "A second putative [Fe]-hydrogenase gene (hydB) in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is also induced under anaerobic conditions," Eur. J. Biochem., 270, 2750-2758.

Antal , T. K., T. E. Krendeleva, A. B. Rubin, T. V. Laurinavichene, A. A. Tsygankov, V. V. Makarova, S. Kosourov, M. L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2003) "The Dependence of Algal H2 Production on Photosystem II and O2-Consumption Activity in Sulfur-Deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cells," Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 1607, 153-160.

Peterson Årsköld, S., B.J. Prince, E. Krausz, P.J. Smith, R.J. Pace, R. Picorel, and M. Seibert (2004) "Low-Temperature Spectroscopy of Fully Active PSII Cores. Comparisons with CP43, CP47, and D1/D2/cyt b559 Fragments", J. Luminescence. 108, 97-100.

Hughes, J.L., B.J. Prince, S. Peterson Årsköld, E. Krausz, R.J Pace, R. Picorel and M. Seibert (2004) "Photo-Conversion of Chlorophylls in Higher-Plant CP43 Characterized by Persistent Spectral Hole-Burning at 1.7 K", J. Luminescence. 108, 131-136.

Semin, B. K., and M. Seibert (2004) "Iron bound to the High-Affinity Mn-binding Site of the Oxygen-evolving Complex Shifts the pK of the Component Controlling the Electron Transport via YZ," Biochemistry 43, 6772-6782.

Posewitz, M. C, S. Smolinski, V. Makarova, S. Kanakagiri, A. Melis, M. Seibert, and M. L. Ghirardi (2004) "Hydrogen Photoproduction is Attenuated by Disruption of an Isoamylase Gene in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, " Plant Cell. 16, 2151-2163.

Posewitz, M. C., P. W. King, S. L. Smolinski, L. Zhang, M. Seibert, and Maria L. Ghirardi (2004) "Discovery of Two Novel Radical SAM Proteins Required for the Assembly of an Active [Fe]-Hydrogenase," J. Biol. Chem. 279, 25711-25720.

Xiong, L., M. Seibert, A. V. Gusev, M. R. Wasielewski, C. Hemann, C. R. Hille, and R. T. Sayre (2004) "Substitution of a chlorophyll into the inactive branch pheophytin-binding site impairs charge separation in photosystem II, " J. Phys. Chem. 108, 16904-16911.

Posewitz, M.C., P.W. King, S. Smolinski, R.D. Smith, A.R. Ginley, M.L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2005) " Identification of genes required for hydrogenase activity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii," Biochemical Soc. Transactions 33, 102-104.

Cohen, J., K. Kim, M. Posewitz, M.L. Ghirardi, K. Schulten, M. Seibert, and P.W. King (2005) "Molecular dynamics and experimental investigation of H2 and O2 diffusion in [Fe]-hydrogenase," Biochemical Soc. Transactions 33, 80-82.

Ghirardi, M.L., P. King, M. Posewitz, P.-C. Maness, A. Federov, K. Kim, J. Cohen, K. Schulten, and M. Seibert (2005) "Approaches to Developing Biological H2-Photoproducing Organisms and Processes," Biochemical Soc. Transactions 33, 70-72.

Fedorov, A. S., S Kosourov, M. Seibert, and M.L. Ghirardi (2005) "Continuous Hydrogen Photoproduction by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Using a Novel Two-Stage, Sulfate-limited Chemostat System," Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 121-124, 403-412.

Semin, B. K., A. B. Rubin, and M. Seibert (2005) "Iron-Blocking of the High-Affinity, Mn-Binding Site in Photosystem II Facilitates Identification of the Type of Hydrogen Bond Participating in Proton-Coupled Electron Transport via YZ·," Biochemisty. 44(28), 9746-9757.

Kosourov, S., V. Makarova, A. Tsygankov, M. Seibert, and M. L. Ghirardi (2005) "The Effect of Sulfur Re-addition on H2-Photoproduction by Sulfur-Deprived Green Algae," Photosynth. Res .85(3), 295-305.

Cohen, J., K. Kim, P. King, M. Seibert, and K. Schulten (2005) "Finding Gas Diffusion Pathways in Proteins: Application to O2 and H2 Gas Transport in CpI [FeFe]-hydrogenase and the Role of Packing Defects," Structure.13, 1321-1329.

Ghirardi, M.L., P. King, S. Kosourov, M. Forestier, L. Zhang, M. Seibert (2005) "Development of Algal Systems for Hydrogen Photoproduction: Addressing the Hydrogenase Oxygen-Sensitivity Problem," Artificial Photosynthesis, Basic Biology to Industrial Application (A. F. Collings and C Critchley Ed) Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp. 213-227.

Makarova V.V., S.N. Kosourov, T.E. Krendeleva , G.P. Kukarskikh, M.L. Ghirardi, M. Seibert, and A.B. Rubin. (2005) "Photochemical Activity of PS II and Hydrogen Production in the D1-R323D and D1-R323L Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Mutants under Sulfur-deprived Conditions," Biophysics (English transl. of the original in Biofizika), 50(6), 90-96.

Laurinavichene, T. V., A. S. Fedorov, M. L. Ghirardi, M. Seibert, A. A. Tsygankov (2006) "Demonstration of Hydrogen Photoproduction by Immobilized, Sulfur-Deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cells," Internat’l J. Hydrogen Energy. 31, 659-667.

King, P.W., M. C. Posewitz, M. L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2006) " Functional studies of [FeFe]-hydrogenase maturation in an Escherichia coli biosynthetic system," J. Bacteriol. 188(6) , 2163-2172.

Semin, B. K. and M. Seibert (2006) "Carboxylic residue at the high-affinity Mn-binding site participates in the binding of iron cation blocking the HAZ site," Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1757, 189-197.

Tsygankov, A.A., S.N. Kosourov, I.V. Tolstygina, M.L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2006) "Hydrogen production by sulfur-deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under photoautotrophic conditions," Internat’l J. Hydrogen Energy. 31, 1574-1584.

Ghirardi M.L., J. Cohen, P. King, K. Schulten, K. Kim and M. Seibert (2006) "[FeFe]-Hydrogenases and Photobiological Hydrogen Production", Proc. SPIE 6340, 63400X.

King, P.W., D. Svedruzic, J. Cohen, K. Schulten, M. Seibert and M. L. Ghirardi (2006) "Structural and functional investigations of biological catalysts for optimization of solar-driven, H2 production systems", Proc. SPIE 6340, 63400Y.

Hughes, J.L., R. Picorel, M. Seibert, and E. Krausz (2006) "Photophysical behavior and assignment of the low-energy chlorophyll states in the CP43 proximal antenna protein of higher-plant photosystem II", Biochemistry, 45, 12345-12357.

Semin, B. K. and M. Seibert (2006) "Flash-induced blocking of the high-affinity, Mn-binding site by iron cations - dependence on the dark interval between flashes and binary oscillations of fluorescence yield," J. Phys. Chem. B 110 (50), 25532-25542.

Nagy L.E., J. Meuser, S. Plummer, M. Seibert, M.L. Ghirardi, P.W. King, D. Ahmann and M.C. Posewitz (2007) "Application of gene shuffling for the rapid generation of novel [FeFe]-hydrogenase libraries", Biotechnol. Letts. 29, 421-430.

Kosourov, S., E. Patrusheva, M. L. Ghirardi, M. Seibert, and A. Tsygankov (2007) "A comparison of hydrogen photoproduction by sulfur-deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under different growth conditions", J. Biotechnology 128, 776-787.

Semin, B. K.,L.N. Davletshina, A.A. Bulychev, I.I. Ivanov, M. Seibert, and A.B. Rubin (2007) "Effect of Calcium Chelators on the Formations and Oxidation of the Slowly Relaxing Reduced Plastoquinon Pool in Calcium-Depleted PSII Membranes. Investigation of the F0 Yield", Biochemistry (Moscow) 72(11), 1482-1494.

Makarova, V.V., S. Kosourov, T.E. Krendeleva, B.K. Semin, G.P. Kekarskikh, A.B. Rubin, R.T. Sayre, M.L. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2007) "Photoproduction of hydrogen by sulfur-deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants with impaired photosystem II photochemical activity," Photosynth Res. 94, 79-89.

Mus, F., A. Dubini, M. Seibert, M.C. Posewitz and A.R. Grossman. (2007) "Anaerobic acclimation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Anoxic gene expression, hydrogenase induction and metabolic pathways", J. Biol.Chem. 282 (35), 25475-25486.

Chang, C., D. Alber, P.Graf, K. Kim, and M. Seibert (2007) "Addressing unknown constants and metabolic network behaviors through petascale computing: understanding H2 production in green algae," J. Phys: Conf. Ser. 78: 012011.

Laurinavichene, T.V., S.N. Kosourov, M.L. Ghirardi, M. Seibert, and A.A. Tsygankov. (2008). "Development of methods to prolong H2 photoproduction by immobilized, sulfur-limited Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cultures," J. Biotechnol, in press.

Patents:

Seibert, M., T. Flynn, and D. Benson (2001) "Method and Apparatus for Rapid Biohydrogen Phenotypic Screening of Microorganisms Using a Chemochromic Sensor," U.S. Patent # 6,277,589.

Seibert, M., T. Flynn, and D. Benson (2002) "System for Rapid Biohydrogen Phenotypic Screening of Microorganisms Using a Chemochromic Sensor," U.S. Patent # 6,448,068.

Melis, A., L. Zhang, J. R. Benemann, M. Forestier, M. Ghirardi, and M. Seibert (2006) "Photosynthetic Hydrogen by Microalgal Cultures," U.S. Patent # 6,989,252.

Seibert, M., V. Makarova, A. A. Tsygankov, and A. B. Rubin (2007) "Fluorescence Technique for On-Line Monitoring of the State of Hydrogen-Producing Microorganisms," U.S. Patent #7,229,785.

Reviews:

Seibert, M. and M. R. Wasielewski (2003) "The Isolated Photosystem II Reaction Center: First Attempts to Directly Measure the Kinetics of Primary Charge Separation," Photosynth. Res. 76 (1-3), 263-268.

Boichenko, V.A., E. Greenbaum, and M. Seibert (2004) "Hydrogen Production by Photosynthetic Microorganisms," In Photoconversion of Solar Energy: Molecular to Global Photosynthesis" (M.D. Archer and J. Barber, Eds.) Vol.2. Imperial College Press, London, pp. 397-452.

Seibert, M., I. Yruela, and R. Picorel (2004) "Isolation of Photosystem II Reaction Center Complexes from Plants," in Methods in Molecular Biology—Photosynthesis Research Protocols (R. Carpentier, Ed.) Vol. 274. Humana Press, NY, pp.53-62.

Picorel, R., I Yruela, and M. Seibert (2004) "The Isolation of CP43 and CP47 Proximal Antenna Complexes of Photosystem II from Plants," in Methods in Molecular Biology—Photosynthesis Research Protocols (R. Carpentier, Ed.) Vol. 274. Humana Press, NY, pp. 129-136.

Metting, F. B., M. J. Scott, J. Benemann, E. Greenbaum, M. Seibert, A. Spormann, H. Yukawa, and J. Houghton (2004) "Microbial and Enzyme Biotechnology: 21st Enetury Opportunities for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation" in Application of Biotechnology to Mitigation of Greenhouse Warming—Proceedings of the St. Michaels II Workshop, April 2003 (N. J. Rosenberg, F. B. Metting, and R. C. Izaurralde, Eds.) Battelle Press, Columbus, OH, pp. 115-136.

Melis, A., M. Seibert, and T. Happe (2004) "Genomics of Algal Hydrogen Production" Photosynthesis Research. 82, 277-288.

Melis, A., M. Seibert, and M.L. Ghirardi (2006) "Hydrogen fuel production by transgenic microalgae," in Transgenic Microalgae as Green Cell Factories (R. León, E. Fernández, and A. Galván, Eds.) Landers Bioscience Publ., Austin, TX, pp. 110-121.

Ghirardi M.L., M. Posewitz, Maness P-C., Dubini, A., Yu J., and M. Seibert (2007) "Hydrogenases and Hydrogen Photoproduction in Oxygenic Photosynthetic Organisms", Ann. Rev. Plant Biol. 58, 71-91. Published online, December 6, 2006.

Last Updated: January 23, 2008