Soil Biogeochemistry Laboratory

Soil is crucial to life on Earth and plays a central role in many of today’s environmental challenges, ranging from climate change and water pollution to biodiversity loss and food supply. The Soil Biogeochemistry Laboratory studies the complex interactions between the living and non-living components of soil that regulate the cycling of elements.

Our goal is to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms that drive biogeochemical element cycling in soils in a changing climate. We aim to quantify and predict molecular-level electron transfer (redox) processes that play key roles in the larger-scale biogeochemical cycling of carbon as well as iron and manganese.

In our research, we combine field studies with laboratory incubations and modeling efforts to gain a mechanistic understanding of soil redox processes across various spatial and temporal scales. We employ experimental and theoretical approaches from various disciplines, including environmental chemistry and microbiology, pedology, and hydrology.  We are further developing novel tools and concepts to quantify redox reactions and associated energy transformations.

With our research, we aim to improve the representation of soil processes in biogeochemical models and thereby contribute to accurate predictions of element cycling. We further aim to inform sustainable soil management practices that protect soil resources.