Our research focuses on functional communities in biogeochemical cycles, especially nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. We address fundamental questions in microbial ecology and do research in applied microbiology related to agricultural and environmental issues, such as nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen leaching/removal.

Environmental properties such as pH, salinity, water, carbon and nitrogen content can significantly influence microbial community dynamics and in return, environmental factors may also be influenced by the microbial communities themselves. This relationship is even more complex when temporal and spatial variations are also considered. By using a combination of molecular tools, activity measurements and statistical modeling, our aim is to link microbial community dynamics with ecosystem processes.