As a plant-microbial ecologist, I'm interested in how two very different communities - plants & microbes - interact and affect each other's fitness, composition, and function. Specifically, my dissertation research investigates the mechanisms by which plant interactions affect belowground microbial communities. By isolating the mechanisms that determine functionally beneficial plant-plant or plant-microbial interactions, I hope that we can inch closer to being able to manage these relationships in our agricultural systems.
