ABOUT

I am currently a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon in Lauren Hallett’s lab. I started here as a postdoctoral researcher on Dr. Hallett’s USDA project focused on understanding how compost amendments aimed at capturing carbon on California rangelands also impact a suite of other ecosystem services such as plant biodiversity, soil emissions, and forage production. Compost improves soil water retention via organic matter and provides nutrients - boosting plant productivity, especially under drought conditions. However, we realized that adding similar additions of inorganic fertilizer and water did not result in the same positive effects on plant growth as compost amendments - an effect that may be due to changes in the soil community under compost addition. I am taking the exciting next step with a USDA Postdoctoral Fellowship to explore this missing link!