We are pleased to announce that Dr. Xia Zhu-Barker has joined the faculty of the Dept. of Soil Science.  Dr. Zhu-Barker was previously an associate professional researcher and lecturer in the Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC-Davis where she advanced her career combining soil biogeochemistry, agroecology, agronomy, and environmental science.  Her UW-Madison research will focus on identifying and addressing emerging issues common to both land management, environmental protection, climate change and waste recycling; these issues involve and will encourage connections among soil chemists, soil physicists, soil microbiologists, agronomists, plant pathologists, animal scientists, hydrologists, and atmospheric scientists within the department as well as across campus and other institutions.  She is the author or co-author of over 36 peer-reviewed publications/book chapters and serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Environmental Quality. Dr. Zhu-Barker is actively looking for graduate students and postdocs who are eager to engage in fundamental and applied research related to soil biogeochemistry, land management and environmental sustainability