About The Company
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is an independent, nonprofit research institute based in East Boothbay, Maine, dedicated to advancing understanding of the ocean—from the Arctic to the Antarctic—and its critical role in sustaining life on Earth. Since its founding in 1974 by oceanographers Charles and Clarice Yentsch, Bigelow Laboratory has grown from a scrappy start-up into a globally recognized hub for bold, cutting-edge ocean science, and has built a reputation for pioneering research spanning microbial oceanography to large-scale biogeochemical processes—work that informs our understanding of climate, ecosystem dynamics, and planetary health.
At the heart of Bigelow Laboratory’s mission is cutting-edge innovation, exemplified by its world-leading Single Cell Genomics Center (SCGC)—the first research and service facility dedicated to unlocking the genomes of individual microbial cells and viral particles from diverse environments. SCGC’s advanced genomics services enable researchers around the world to explore life at the smallest scales, transforming how scientists study microbial diversity, evolutionary history, and the roles these organisms play in ecosystems and biotechnology. Through high-throughput single-cell sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities, SCGC supports scientific discovery across academia, industry, and government, advancing our collective understanding of life’s hidden complexity.
Bigelow Laboratory’s impact is amplified through collaborations that bridge disciplines and technologies. In November 2025, researchers from Bigelow Laboratory and Atrandi Biosciences published a breakthrough study in Nature Microbiology introducing “environmental microcompartment genomics,” a novel method that dramatically improves high-throughput sequencing of ocean viruses and microbes directly from seawater — uncovering genomic information previously inaccessible with traditional approaches. This method, which dramatically expands the scale and quality of single-particle genomic data, enhances global capabilities for studying the ocean’s viral diversity and is now offered as part of the SCGC’s suite of services to users worldwide.
Beyond its scientific achievements, Bigelow Laboratory fosters the next generation of ocean leaders through education and outreach, partnerships with entrepreneurs via its Blue Biotech Initiative, and public engagement programs that bring the wonder of ocean science to broader audiences. Through these intertwined efforts, Bigelow Laboratory continues to illuminate unseen worlds beneath the waves and empower communities and researchers alike to address the pressing environmental challenges of our time.
Wolf Greenfield & Bigelow Laboratory
Wolf Greenfield advises Bigelow on IP strategies and patent filings related to its various research programs and services, including services provided through its National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA). The Wolf Greenfield team has also helped the company evaluate and navigate relationships with third parties in support of its research mission.
