About Us

Microbial communities mediate water quality, greenhouse gas fluxes, plant growth, and carbon and nutrient cycling in the soil system. They are keystone players in soil health and in the promotion of ecosystem goods and services. Healthy soils form the base of sustainable agricultural production systems, contributing to local and global food security. To improve soil health while decreasing the negative impacts of our land management, a better understanding of soil-microbe-plant interactions is required.

Our main research interests involve assessing the role of microbial communities in ecosystem functioning and assessing the impacts of climate change and agricultural management on soil health, soil carbon, and nutrient dynamics. Our research group uses a variety of biogeochemical, isotopic, and molecular methods to assess soil health metrics and the functional and taxonomic abundance, potential activity, and diversity of soil microbial communities in relation to anthropogenic changes within natural and agricultural systems. We focus on improving soil health as a means to better protect Canada’s valuable natural resources while improving food security.