Gloria Ambrowiak

gloria.ambrowiak@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Francisco Arriaga

Hannah Anderson

handerson33@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Zac Freedman

Hannah obtained her BS in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management from the University of Minnesota in May 2021. She is broadly interested in the role of beneficial soil-microbe-plant interactions in food system sustainability. Her PhD research is investigating how novel organic crop varieties shape the soil microbiome via chemical excretion from their roots.

Noah Anderson

npanderson@wisc.edu | Soil Science – MS | Advisor: Thea Whitman

Tyler Anderson

tjanderson6@wisc.edu | Biological Systems Engineering – PhD | Advisor: Phil Barak

Claire Benning

clbenning@wisc.edu | Agroecology – MS | Advisor: Matt Ruark

Juma Bukomba

bukomba@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Matt Ruark

Juma Bukomba from Uganda obtained his Master’s degree in Soil and Water Sciences from the University of Florida and his Bachelor’s from EARTH University, Costa Rica.  He is currently a PhD student in the Ruark Soil Fertility lab. His research is focusing on the use of cyanobacteria as a sustainable biofertilizer in agricultural production.

Shuohao Cai

scai62@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Jingyi Huang

Yanyu Deng

yanyu.deng@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Xia Zhu-Barker

Yanyu is in his first year as a PhD student in the Zhu-Barker Lab. He received his BS in Ecology from China Agricultural University and MS in Geography from Peking University. Currently, Yanyu’s research focuses on soil nitrogen dynamics under Climate-Smart Agriculture, and he’s interested in understanding and quantifying how climate-smart practices will regulate N cycling, thus finding better measures to make our life more sustainable under climate change. When not in the Research Mode, Yanyu enjoys listening/playing music, traveling, playing video games and cooking.

Soni Ghimire

sghimire3@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Zac Freedman

Jie Hu

jhu279@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Jingyi Huang

After graduating from Zhejiang University in China, Jie is interested in the coupled carbon-water cycle across scales. Her research focuses on the soil organic carbon change and the plant water use efficiency in response to below-ground processes.

Dana Johnson

dbjohnson7@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Thea Whitman

Dana obtained her MS in Agroecology at UW-Madison and is now working on her PhD in soil science. She researches the impact of ecosystem disturbances on soil microbial communities and nutrient cycling.

Tanner Judd

tcjudd@wisc.edu | Soil Science -PhD | Advisor: Zac Freedman

Tanner is a PhD student in the Freedman Lab. He earned his BS at West Virginia University in Agroecology (2020) and an MS in Plant and Soil Sciences at Oklahoma State University (May 2022). Tanner’s current work evaluates the role of microbes in reducing carbon loss from agricultural systems under differing management strategies.

Mia Keady

mkeady@wisc.edu | Environment & Resources – PhD | Advisor: Thea Whitman

Mia Keady joined the Whitman lab in September 2021. She is interested in soil microbial ecology, soil organic matter persistence, and prairie restoration. Mia previously completed her MS degree in Biology at George Mason University where she studied captive elephant gut microbiomes and health issues. Mia is originally from Nebraska where she earned her degree in Biology from Nebraska Wesleyan. In her free time Mia enjoys biking, reading, cooking, and time outdoors.

Shyanne Lee

snlee3@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Francisco Arriaga

Mengmeng Luo

mluo47@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Thea Whitman

After receiving a joint MS degree in Agroecology and Soil Science, Mengmeng is continuing on with her PhD studies in Soil Science. She is working with Dr. Whitman to research the impact of repeated fire on PyOM and microbial communities.

Josh Mirabella

jmirabella@wisc.edu | Soil Science – MS | Advisor: Xia Zhu-Barker

Daniela Orjuela Diaz

orjueladiaz@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Francisco Arriaga

Gwen Pipes

gpipes@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Zac Freedman

Gwen is a first year PhD student in the Freedman Lab. She earned a BS in Environmental Science and an MS in Natural Resources from Cornell University. Gwen is interested in studying restoration in anthropogenically degraded landscapes and its impact on soil carbon storage. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat, Atlas, doing art, and running.

Brooke Propson

bpropson2@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Zac Freedman

Brooke is a PhD student and NSF Fellow in the Department of Soil Science. She is a biogeochemist and ecosystem ecologist interested in the impacts of altered anthropogenic activity on nutrient cycling and storage via changes in the soil microbial community. For her PhD, she is studying soil microbial community responses to changes in atmospheric deposition.

Kendra Saunders

ksaunders2@wisc.edu | Environmental Chemistry & Tech – MS | Advisor: Inna Popova

Anna Stevenson

arstevenson@wisc.edu | Soil Science – PhD | Advisor: Alfred Hartemink

Anna’s research centers on understanding the effects of urbanization on soils at various scales. In particular she is interested in soils of urban food production systems, including community gardens and farms, and how these soils are influenced by land use history and socioecological factors. She is also broadly interested in digital soil mapping, GIS, and utilizing proximal soil sensors. Beyond her research, she enjoys biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing and gardening.

Clare Tallamy

tallamy@wisc.edu | Soil Science MS | Advisor: Zac Freedman