Person - Researcher Kirsten Hofmockel

As Integrative Research Scientist, Dr. Hofmockel develops the overall science and technology strategy for EMSL in collaboration with the Deputy Directors. Responsible for EMSL’s Strategic Science Area in collaboration with the Deputy Directors. Is the interface with BER and the user community for science. Communicates BER scientific strategy to the Deputy Directors. Dr. Hofmockel is interested how plant-microbe-soil interactions influence plant productivity, soil biogeochemistry and the land-atmosphere exchange of carbon. This research connects microbial processes to ecosystem functions to yield new insights into microbial ecology and elemental cycling.

Her research focuses on finding the answers to these three questions:

·What are the mechanisms structuring soil microbial communities?

·How do functional groups of microorganisms respond to changing environmental conditions (e.g. elevated atmospheric CO2, warming, altered precipitation, agricultural management)?

·How does variation in specific microbial communities relate to decomposition and coupled C-N cycling?