Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers developed a platform that rapidly identifies genetic triggers enabling engineered bacteria to act as more efficient factories for chemicals and materials. The approach combines genome shuffling, automated experiments, AI, and quantitative genetic mapping to link small DNA changes to improved production traits. The work is positioned as a tool for faster microbial reprogramming, including applications such as domestic manufacturing of valuable products and recovery of critical minerals—areas tied to supply chain security. By tightening the feedback loop between experimental design and genetic readouts, the platform targets a key bottleneck in microbial engineering: mapping genotype to phenotype at scale.