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Kirsten Hofmockel is an associate professor in the Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Department at Iowa State University.  She directs the Microbial Ecology Laboratory, which focuses on connecting microscale mechanism to ecosystem-scale biogeochemical processes.
[email protected]
515-294-2589

I am a Ph.D. student in the Interdepartmental Microbiology program. My research focuses on determining the key microbial organisms involved in C cycling, particularly cellulose degradation. I use a combination of field experiments, to determine the impact of plant/soil interactions on microbial cellulose degradation, and lab incubations with fluorescently labeled cellulose nanocrystals to directly determine the key microbes involved in C cycling.

Email - [email protected]

I am a Research Associate II in Kirsten Hofmockel’s lab and am responsible for organization and coordination of the day-to-day lab and fieldwork activities for the postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate research assistants. My background is in microbial ecology with an interest in how microbial diversity and function in a broad range of ecosystems is impacted by human activities such as agriculture, eutrophication and climate change.

Email- [email protected]

I am a microbial ecologist in Kirsten Hofmockel’s lab with broad interests in ecosystem processes, microbial communities, plant-microbe symbiotic relationships, and nutrient cycling.
More specifically, my research focuses on the long-term consequences of organic amendments and crop-system diversification on soil microbial community composition, as well as the metabolically active populations involved in carbon and nitrogen transformations.
By combining microcosm experiments with high-throughput sequencing methods, I aim to provide valuable knowledge about how microbial diversity regulates nutrient cycling, allowing us to develop sustainable management strategies that maintain crop yields whilst guarding ecological integrity.

I am a Postdoctoral Fellow associated with the Hofmockel lab. I am an ecologist working at the interface of above- and below-ground communities. My interests include ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, climate change, and invasive species. Through my research program, I examine local, mechanism-driven questions, which have advanced ecological theory regarding microbial community function, and landscape-level biogeochemical inquiries that relate to land management. Overall, my work builds on our understanding of how soil decomposer community function will change with shifting plant communities and climate. This is critical for creating realistic C and N budgets at local and regional scales. Because this work examines biogeochemical effects across the landscape, it will help us to better understand impacts to hydrological and atmospheric systems as well as human populations. Ultimately, I hope that my work will contribute to more informed land-use and policy decisions.

Personal website:
http://ecosystemchronicles.wordpress.com/

I'm a post-doc with Brian Wilsey and Kirsten Hofmockel. I am interested in belowground carbon processes in response to climate change and land use.

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