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Staff Scientist

Kristin

My research focuses on the distribution of biodiversity across multiple spatial scales – globally, regionally, and locally. We use molecular tools to identify species, genetic lineages, and communities of organisms and describe how they are distributed across landscapes. Our genetic work on invasive species incorporates field and experimental studies to address fundamental issues related to invasion, impact, and restoration. Another focus is on soil and plant microbiomes. Despite their importance for global biogeochemical cycling, these microbial communities remain poorly described and our understanding of how these communities are linked to functional capabilities is limited. Our ongoing projects focus on describing soil communities across land use categories (such as land managed for agriculture, young secondary forest, and older forests) and how the structure of plant microbiomes changes across tissues and different management strategies.

The Ecological and Evolutionary Ecology lab is a dynamic group with permanent staff, students, interns and associate scientists