NSF grants $18.4 million to sequence genomes of Antarctic species
- National Science Foundation awarded an $18.4 million Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 grant on September 29, 2026, to fund a sweeping genomic project targeting Antarctic life from microbes to whales.
- The GIGA DATA initiative will unite these new sequences with existing Antarctic sequencing efforts under a new, artificial intelligence-enabled cyberinfrastructure.
- The multi-institution project involves several key co-principal investigators and research teams contributing specialized technical expertise.
The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded an $18.4 million Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 grant on September 29, 2026, to fund a sweeping genomic project targeting Antarctic life from microbes to whales. Led by Desert Research Institute molecular microbial ecologist and biological oceanographer Alison Murray, the initiative is titled Genome Infrastructure catalyzing next Generation Antarctic Data, Access, Tools, and Analytics, or GIGA DATA. Across 250-plus Antarctic species—encompassing mosses, algae, marine and land invertebrates, fish, birds, and marine mammals—the project will decode genomes, alongside 600 ecosystem samples that capture tens of thousands of viral and microbial datasets.
Unifying Antarctic Genomic Data Under AI-Enabled Cyberinfrastructure
The GIGA DATA initiative will unite these new sequences with existing Antarctic sequencing efforts under a new, artificial intelligence-enabled cyberinfrastructure. According to project leaders, the resulting digital platform will serve as an open, accessible data science gateway to Antarctic life. High-quality genome maps are currently unavailable for most Antarctic species, leaving many taxonomic lineages poorly understood at the genome level. Similarly, the vast diversity of Antarctic microorganisms remains largely undescribed, representing an untapped reservoir for biodiscovery, biotechnology, and the bioeconomy. By positioning reference genomes and assembled metagenomes as foundational scientific infrastructure, the project aims to establish enduring data resources designed to catalyze discoveries for generations to come.
This research infrastructure initiative will redefine evolutionary and Antarctic ecosystem science by uncovering the fundamental rules that shape life
Alison Murray said, as noted in project announcements. By providing a novel gateway to Antarctic genomic data at scale—spanning the diversity of Antarctic life—this initiative will fuel discovery, innovation, and cross-disciplinary application.
Institutional Collaborations and Institutional Contributions
The multi-institution project involves several key co-principal investigators and research teams contributing specialized technical expertise. At the University of Connecticut, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Rachel O’Neill and Jill Wegrzyn are directing a $6.6 million portion of the award allocated to the university. O’Neill’s laboratory brings genome assembly and repeat analysis expertise, utilizing comparative genomics across the tree of life to decode complex short DNA sequences. Wegrzyn’s Plant Computational Genomics Lab will contribute to assembling and annotating eukaryotic genomes alongside postdoctoral scholars and doctoral students.
Geographic leadership spans multiple institutions, featuring Patrick Chain and Bin Hu from the New Mexico Consortium, Emily McDonald-Williams at the Desert Research Institute, Rauri Bowie representing the University of California, Berkeley, Arvind Varsani at Arizona State University, and Allyson Hindle at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The team combines expertise in genome sequencing, bioinformatic cyberinfrastructure, Antarctic physiology, evolution, and ecosystem function to tackle the technical challenges of processing diverse biological samples from extreme polar environments.
Workforce Training Pipeline for Next-Generation Researchers
Beyond data generation, the GIGA DATA project establishes an extensive workforce training pipeline designed to instruct 69 participants across early-career, graduate, and undergraduate tracks. The initiative utilizes a novel early-career project rotator program alongside two undergraduate training initiatives. Trainees will gain vital practical skills in genomic data management, bioinformatics, machine learning, and computational engineering, with applications extending across science, medicine, and industry.