Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Department Member, Biodiversity

About

I'm an ecosystem ecologist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford specialising in plant-soil interactions.

I previously worked on the role of litterfall in carbon and nutrient cycling in tropical forests.
My current research focuses on the mechanisms involved in plant-soil feedbacks and their role in ecosystem functioning. I have the best of both worlds because I get to use state-of-the-art molecular techniques and also go out to the field and do ‘classic’ field ecology.

My ongoing projects investigate:
1)  The effects of climate change on plant-soil feedbacks.
2) How grassland restoration and management strategies affect soil microorganisms and how this might feed back to plant productivity.
3) How measures to increase biodiversity in agricultural systems affect soil microbial communities and soil carbon cycling.


Mini CV:
2006 – 2009 EU Marie Curie Fellowship, University of Cambridge, UK.
2005 – 2006 Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship at STRI, Panama.
2001 – 2005 PhD in Tropical Ecology, University of Cambridge, UK.
2000 – 2001 MSc in Plant Sciences, University of Berne, Switzerland.

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