Living.Soil.Lab
 

A hidden world underpins ecosystems all around us and it starts with our soils.

Just a teaspoon of soil contains millions of microorganisms.  While invisible to the eye, the activity of these microbes control the health and function of the ecosystems upon which we rely.

 
 
 
DSCN0353 (1).JPG
 
 
The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all.... Without proper care for it we can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no life.
— Wendell Berry, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture
 
 
IMG-2225.JPG
 
 
 

My work in science and writing seeks to bring these hidden dynamics of nature to light and learn from the mystery of the ecosystems we reside within.

 
IMG-0743.JPG
 

Microbial communities are one example. They influence soil fertility, plant growth, ecosystem productivity, and climate. My research builds understandings of the factors that control how soil microbial communities assemble,  interact with plants, and respond to ecological disturbance. 

DSC02819.JPG
 
 
20140723_174354 (1).jpg