Type: Graduate Students
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Joohwan Yoo
MS Soil Science (Zhu-Barker Lab)
Joohwan joined the Zhu-Barker Lab in 2026 as an M.S. student in Soil Science. He received his B.S. in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, where his undergraduate research focused on the effects of microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and biogeochemical processes in wetland soils. His research interests…
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Andrew Molodchenko
MS Soil Science (Popova and Freedman Labs)
Andrew joined the Soils department as a master’s student in 2026 to study the effects of fungicides on soil microbiome and plant health with Dr. Freedman and Dr. Popova. Prior to that, he was studying biology at Moscow State University and Biochemistry at UW. He likes exploring new parts of…
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Alex Kalisz
PhD Soil Science
Alex Kalisz is a PhD student in the Zhang Lab whose research focuses on pedometrics and soil systems science. Her work examines the development and spectral properties of Pacific Northwest andisols using machine learning, MIR spectroscopy, and synchrotron science. She also coaches the Soil Judging Team, studies the impact of…
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Malithi Weerasekara
PhD Student (Zhang Lab)
Malithi joined Dr. Yakun Zhang’s Soils and Landscape Analysis Lab in 2023. She earned her BSc in Environmental Conservation and Management from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, and an MSc in Environmental Hazards and Risk Management from Université Côte d’Azur, France. Her PhD research focuses on using mid-infrared (MIR)…
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Mingxuan Qi
PhD Soil Science (Zhang Lab)
Mingxuan joined Dr. Yakun Zhang’s Soils and Landscape Analysis Lab in 2025. His PhD research focuses on developing a comprehensive framework for the measurement, mapping, and dynamic analysis of soil organic carbon (SOC) under different management practices and environmental conditions. He is particularly interested in evaluating and disentangling the…
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Chloe Kusser
MS Soil Science (Huang Lab)
Chloe received her B.A. from St. Olaf College in Biology and Environmental Studies. Her research at UW-Madison focuses on globally modeling mineral-associate organic carbon (MAOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC). She also works with the archived soils at WICST to study MAOC and POC over time throughout different agricultural systems.
