Current Projects
My work with the SFA primarily focuses on linking biogeochemical processes from molecular to meter scales in order to reveal which processes are driving key ecosystem functions, such as nutrient and contaminant mobility, greenhouse gas emissions, and mineral transformations. I am particularly interested in the interactions between microbiological energy and nutrient demands and organic matter and mineralogical composition. Currently, I am investigating the role of particulate transport to and within shallow floodplain aquifers for biogeochemical outcomes. In my laboratory experiments, I use model systems, for example, flow-through columns with natural soils or sediments, that are designed to represent miniature versions of interfaces or other complex situations in the field, but where different factors can be systematically manipulated and the responses monitored in a controlled environment. The purpose is to bridge the gap between single/few parameter experiments and field observations, which is needed for accurate process representations to be included in reactive transport models.