ExFAB is pleased to announce its first call for external user projects. We are seeking microbial phenotyping projects that would benefit from leveraging the unique capabilities of ExFAB. ExFAB will support the cost of engaging our facilities and technical staff for successful proposals. Researchers from non-R1 institutions are strongly encouraged to apply. 

The ExFAB BioFoundry, an NSF-funded user facility, is dedicated to developing high-throughput technologies for non-model Extreme and Exceptional (Ex) Fungi, Archaea, and Bacteria (FAB) to unlock their potential for biotechnology. Through research in Biosynthesis, Bioremediation, and Rules of Life, we support innovation and technology translation. 

To enhance our Genotyping and Phenotyping Hub, we invite proposals focused on the phenotypic analysis of Ex microbes. We are particularly interested in projects that leverage our newly developed automation capabilities and help create new protocols and workflows for extreme microbe research that will benefit the larger research community. 

Submit a User Proposal

Proposal Guidelines

User Project Level Overview

Program Information 

Call for Applications Opens: September 18th, 2025 

Proposals Due: November 1st, 2025, at midnight PDT  

Submission: Applications must be submitted through the User Proposal Portal and comply with the ExFAB User Proposal Guidelines. We strongly recommend connecting with ExFAB's User Coordinator, Dr. Jessie Sexton, (jasexton@ucsb.edu) prior to submitting a proposal. 

Award Notifications: Week of November 17th, 2025

Eligibility: Applicants must be researchers from academic or non-profit research organizations within the United States. 

Areas of Interest 

1. Phenotyping Analysis of Microbial Libraries: Projects focused on analyzing mid-sized microbial libraries (50-500+ isolates), such as collections of environmental isolates or genetic mutants. Examples of analyses include growth rate (aerobic/anaerobic), cell morphology, and colony characteristics. Selected projects may also have the opportunity for genomic library creation. 

2. Growth Optimization of Difficult-to-Culture Microbes: Projects aimed at identifying optimal growth conditions for one or more difficult-to-culture microbes. Growth can be measured using optical density, cell morphology, colony size, or biochemical assays. 

 

ExFAB Capabilities

  • Anaerobic Suite: A large (9'x20') integrated chamber with a robotic arm that links to 15+ different instruments for automated anaerobic and aerobic cell culture, cell-based and biochemical assays, and confocal imaging. 
  • Aerobic Suite: Specialized robotic equipment and software for automated colony picking, pinning, and imaging. This generates high-definition image files for computational analysis of cell growth and morphology. 

For complete list of ExFAB equipment, visit our Equipment List 

Project Details

  • Evaluation: Proposals will be evaluated for feasibility, mission alignment, intellectual merit, and broader impact on the microbiology research community by a panel of internal and external reviewers. 
  • Funding: ExFAB-funded projects cover all on-site costs (supplies, labor, user training, equipment access). Costs for work conducted outside ExFAB, such as DNA sequencing, are not included.