Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, with the Morrow Plots in the foreground
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| Established | 2006 |
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| Mission | To advance life sciences research and stimulate bioeconomic development in the state of Illinois. |
| Focus | Transformative research in systems biology, cellular and metabolic engineering and genome technology. |
| Director | Gene E. Robinson |
| Location | Urbana, Illinois, United States of America |
| Address | 1206 W Gregory Drive |
| Website | http://www.igb.illinois.edu/ |
The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) is an interdisciplinary facility for genomics research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The construction of the IGB, which was completed in 2006, represented a strategy to centralize biotechnology research at the University of Illinois. A goal of the IGB is to provide a collaborative environment in which researchers with diverse backgrounds are drawn together by their pursuit of scientific questions related to genomics. The interdisciplinary nature of the institute promotes the creation of innovative solutions to societal challenges related to health, the environment, and food production. Current research at the IGB explores the genomic bases of a wide range of phenomena, including the progression of cancer, the ecological impact of global change, tissue and organ growth, and the diversity of animal behavior.
Plans for what would become the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) were formed in the late 1990s. Initially, the facility was to be named the Post-Genomic Institute; the name was changed to Institute for Genomic Biology in 2003. Funds of $67.5 million were initially appropriated by the state of Illinois for construction in 2000. In response to economic hardships, the state halted plans for construction in 2001 as part of a large set of budget cuts, but in 2002, funds were re-appropriated. Construction began in April 2004 and was completed in November 2006. The building was dedicated in March 2007. The Institute, initially named the Institute for Genomic Biology, officially changed its name to the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in 2015 to honor the scientific contributions of Carl Woese.
The IGB was initially led by Harris Lewin, then a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois. Lewin served as the founding director until 2011, when he accepted the position of Research Vice Chancellor at University of California, Davis. Gene E. Robinson, a professor in the Entomology department, took over as Interim Director, and was named the new Director of IGB in January 2012.
The IGB houses over 130 faculty and 600+ graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research personnel. IGB faculty are drawn from a broad range of departments, including Crop Sciences, Psychology, Entomology, Physics and Computer Science.
The research goals of the IGB fall under one of three Program Areas (Systems Biology, Cellular and Metabolic Engineering, and Genome Technology). Work at the IGB addresses societal challenges related to health, the environment, and food production, both through basic science research and through exploration of ethical and legal issues. Research is further organized into Themes, each of which occupies a customized lab and office space. Each Theme contains multiple research groups. These groups often pursue some research questions independently, but are unified by a common interest in the broader area of the Theme. The multi-group space encourages communication and collaboration between researchers with diverse backgrounds and technical skills. One senior faculty member acts as Theme leader, and is responsible for shaping and guiding the overall research initiative. Themes are reviewed every five years; new Themes may be added or existing Themes modified to reflect the current state of genomics research. Current Themes are listed below:
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