Patricia Brandt  graduated in 2014 with a B.A. in Biology from the University of Chicago, where she focused on ecology and evolution. She is interested in studying how nitrogen-fixing symbioses affect the carbon cycle.  

Lowland tropical rainforests are one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet. However, their future as carbon sinks during times of global climate change is uncertain in part due to an incomplete understanding of tropical tree nutrient use. My dissertation project combines theoretical modeling with empirical field measurements and…

Wenying is broadly interested in biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology. Her current focus is applying empirical and theoretical methods to develop understanding of nitrogen (N) cycle in terrestrial ecosystems: this includes understanding of physiological constraints of N fixation, community dynamics of symbiotic N-fixing plants (their…

I’m interested in nutrient foraging strategies of plant root in forest ecosystems. Root nutrient foraging strategies cope with abiotic environment and biotic neighborhood. While discovering novel root nutrient foraging strategy that adapts to nutrient limitation is part of my passion, my current work mainly focuses on investigating how…