Taraka Dale
Taraka Dale (Ph.D., University of Colorado at Boulder) is a Scientist 3 and Principal Investigator in the Bioscience Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. As a biochemist with expertise in the design and development of mid- to high-throughput assays, Dr. Dale focuses on developing algae and other microorganisms as platforms for making cost effective biofuels and bioproducts. In algae, Dr. Dale’s team is working to improve the productivity and environmental tolerance of microalgae strains, with an effort towards translating these results to outdoor cultivation. In non-phototrophs, Dr. Dale leads a team focused on the development and application of high throughput tools for optimizing metabolic flux towards new target molecules. Dr. Dale is a reviewer for Algal Research and for two years was also the Algae Platform Lead for the Bioenergy and Bioproducts Program in the LANL Science Programs Office of Applied Energy.
- Serves as the institutional lead for LANL, ensuring execution of LANL scientific and reporting tasks.
- Responsible for leading the LANL team in the revival of culture collection strains and the confirmation of strain identity.
- Responsible for improving strains for increased salinity tolerance by adaptive evolution, random mutagenesis, and for increasing lipid or biomass accumulations using flow cytometry-based methods.
Marrone BL, Lacey R, Anderson DB, Bonner J, Coons J, Dale T, et al. (2018). Review of the harvesting and extraction program within the national alliance for advanced biofuels and bioproducts. Algal Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2017.07.015.
Huesemann M, Dale T, Chavis A, Crowe B, Twary SN, Barry A, Valentine D, Yoshida R, Wigmosta M (2017). Simulation of outdoor pond cultures using indoor LED-lighted and temperature controlled raceway ponds and Phenometrics™ photobioreactors. Algal Research, 21, 178-190.
Olivares J, Unkefer CJ, Sayre RT, Magnuson JK, Anderson DB, Baxter I, Blaby IK, Brown JK, Carleton M, Cattolico R, Dale T, et al. (2017). Review of the algal biology program within the national alliance for advanced biofuels and bioproducts. Algal Research. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2016.06.002
Bagwell CE, Abernathy A, Barnwell R, Milliken CE, Noble PA, Dale T, Beauchesne KR, Moeller PD (2016). Discovery of bioactive metabolites in biofuel microalgae that offer protection against predatory bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, article 516, 1-12. .
Coons JE, Kalb DM, Dale T, Marrone BL (2014). Getting to low-cost algal biofuels: A monograph on conventional and cutting-edge harvesting and extraction technologies. Algal Research 6, 250-270.