Ecology

Ecology Department photo

Overview

Scientists in the Ecology Department lead development of new technologies to dissect the microbial diversity of complex ecosystems. Their internationally recognized expertise include scale-aware ecology systems, advanced imaging, physiological diversity of microbes, and plant-microbe interactions.

Core Capabilities

Our six core capabilities are:

Advanced Infrared Microscopy and Manipulation
Interactions and Feedbacks between Different Trophic Levels of an Ecosystem
Environmental Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry
Environmental Microbial Genomics and Bioinformatics
Predictive Multiscale Models and Model Data Integration
Soil Biogeochemical Cycling

Advanced Infrared Microscopy and Manipulation

Schematic genome-centric quantitative microbiome analysis — Environmental Microbial Genomics and Bioinformatics

Romy Chakraborty in her research lab — Environmental Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry

Interactions and Feedbacks between Different Trophic Levels of an Ecosystem

Predictive Multiscale Models and Model Data Integration

Nilofer Ahsan

Guest Associate

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-7072
nahsan@lbl.gov

Lisa Alvarez-Cohen

Mechanical Faculty Scientific Engineer

Phone: 510-643-5969
lalvarez-cohen@lbl.gov

Gary Andersen

Microbial Ecologist

Senior Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2795
Fax: 510-486-7152
glandersen@lbl.gov

Abelardo Arellano

Research Associate

Phone: 510-486-7709
aarellano@lbl.gov

James C. Bartholomew

Guest Senior Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5808
jcbartholomew@lbl.gov

Harry R. Beller

Senior Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7321
Fax: 510-486-7152
hrbeller@lbl.gov

Giovanni Birarda

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-495-2658
gbirarda@lbl.gov

Kathleen A. Bjornstad

Staff Research Associate

Phone: 510-486-7094
kabjornstad@lbl.gov

Nicholas J. Bouskill

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7490
Fax: 510-486-5686
njbouskill@lbl.gov

Eoin Brodie

Terrestrial Microbiologist, Senior Scientist

Deputy Director, Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division

Lead, Environmental & Biological Systems Sciences Program Domain

Phone: 510-486-6584
Fax: 510-486-7152
elbrodie@lbl.gov

Shannon Mieko Brown

Student Assistant

Phone: 714-815-5659
shannonbrown@lbl.gov

Carlo Carraro

Guest Faculty

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943

Javier Arturo Ceja Navarro

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7709
jcnavarro@lbl.gov

Romy Chakraborty

Ecology Department Head

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-4091
Fax: 510-486-7152
rchakraborty@lbl.gov

Liang Chen

Project Scientist

Phone: 510-495-2658
lchen2@lbl.gov

Yiwei Cheng

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-6762
yiweicheng@lbl.gov

Hee Jung Cho

Graduate Student Assistant

Phone: 510-486-6584
heejungcho@lbl.gov

John D. Coates

Senior Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-643-8455
jdcoates@lbl.gov

Matthew DiTucci

Guest Student Assistant

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
mjditucci@lbl.gov

Ahmed H. Dorrah

Guest Student Assistant
Visiting Researcher

Affiliate

Phone: 510-495-2658
adorrah@lbl.gov

Eric Dubinsky

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5022
eadubinsky@lbl.gov

Gregory Mark Enns

Guest Faculty

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
gmenns@lbl.gov

Yuan Sheng Fang

Graduate Student Research Assistant

Phone: 510-486-5943
michaelfang@lbl.gov

Mary Firestone

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-642-3677
mfirestone@lbl.gov

Jil T. Geller

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-7321
Fax: 510-486-7079
jtgeller@lbl.gov

Cinta Gomez Silvan

Guest Postdoctoral Fellow

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-6901
cgomezsilvan@lbl.gov

Katherine Grue

Guest Technical Associate

Affiliate

Phone: 510-495-2795
kgrue@lbl.gov

Sonali Hande

Guest Technical Associate

Affiliate

Phone: 510-575-4364
shande@lbl.gov

Zhao Hao

Senior Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 510-486-7335
zhao@lbl.gov

Terry C. Hazen

Guest Senior Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 707-631-6763
tchazen@lbl.gov

Elizabeth Holman

Guest Graduate Student Research Assistant

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
eaholman@lbl.gov

Hoi-Ying N. Holman

Senior Staff Scientist

Head, Chemical Ecology

Director, Berkeley Synchrotron Infrared Structural Biology (BSISB) Imaging Program

Phone: 510-486-5943
Fax: 510-486-7152
hyholman@lbl.gov

Ping Hu

Principal Scientific Engineering Associate

Phone: 510-486-5908
phu@lbl.gov

Ulas Karaoz

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-4118
ukaraoz@lbl.gov

Eric King

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-6162
eking@lbl.gov

Anthony T. Le

Guest Faculty

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5335
atle@lbl.gov

Eva Lloret-Sevilla

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-495-2430
elloret-sevilla@lbl.gov

Roya Maboudian

Guest Faculty

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
rmaboudian@lbl.gov

Antoine Masson

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-7094
Fax: 510-486-5686
amasson@lbl.gov

Arthur Okhtay Montazeri

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-495-2658
amontazeri@lbl.gov

Stephen Morris

Guest Faculty

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
stephenmorris@lbl.gov

Mari Johanna Nyyssonen

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-4118
mjnyyssonen@lbl.gov

Yvette M. Piceno

Guest Technical Associate

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-4498
Fax: 510-486-7152
ympiceno@lbl.gov

Alexander Polussa

Student Assistant

Phone: 408-512-0335
apolussa@lbl.gov

Leila Ramanculova

Research Assistant

Phone: 510-486-7709
lramanculova@lbl.gov

Timur Seckin

Guest Student Assistant

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-7709
tseckin@lbl.gov

Whendee L. Silver

Faculty Scientist

Phone: 510-486-6223
wlsilver@lbl.gov

Patrick Oliver Sorensen

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-4390
posorensen@lbl.gov

Anna Christine Susa

Guest Student Assistant

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
asusa@lbl.gov

Neslihan Tas

Research Scientist

Phone: 510-486-5538
Fax: 510-486-7152
ntas@lbl.gov

Alexander Thomas

Guest Student Assistant

Affiliate

Phone: 925-296-5781
alexanderthomas@lbl.gov

Tamas Torok

Guest Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5808
Fax: 510-486-7152
ttorok@lbl.gov

Patricia M. Valdespino Castillo

Guest Postdoctoral Fellow

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-5943
pmvaldespino@lbl.gov

Jana Voriskova

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Phone: 510-486-4607
jvoriskova@lbl.gov

Shi Wang

Principal Research Associate

Phone: 510-495-2657
shiwang@lbl.gov

Evan R. Williams

Chemist Faculty Scientific Engineer

Phone: 510-643-7161

Xiaoqin Wu

Project Scientist

Phone: 510-486-7515
Fax: 510-486-5686
xiaoqinwu@lbl.gov

Mingqian Xia

Student Assistant

Phone: 510-697-5072
mingqianxia@lbl.gov

Husna Yasini

Student Assistant

Phone: 510-486-4091
HYasini@lbl.gov

Kenneth Charles Zahn

Guest Senior Scientist

Affiliate

Phone: 510-486-4436
kczahn@lbl.gov

Carrie Zhang

Student Assistant

Phone: 510-486-4091
carriezhang@lbl.gov

Jizhong Zhou

Visiting Faculty

Phone: 510-486-6223
jzzhou@lbl.gov

News & Events

Three EESA scientists receive DOE Early Career Research Awards

August 10, 2017

Three Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) scientists receive the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Early Career Research Award for 2017. Congratulations to Nick Bouskill, Charlie Koven, and Neslihan Tas Baas.

Berkeley Lab Scientists Brief California Science Advisory Panel for Food and Agriculture

July 28, 2017

As two-thirds of the fruits and nuts—and over a third of the vegetables—produced in the United States are grown in California, it’s crucial that the Golden State cultivate healthy soils that are resilient to stresses such as climate change, drought, and groundwater overuse. Now scientists at Berkeley Lab’s Earth & Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) and Biosciences Area are contributing to the effort by sharing their expertise with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)’s Science Advisory Panel, a group comprised of farmers, agriculture professionals, and experts in areas such as water, conservation, and resource management. Last week, EESA scientist Peter Nico hosted the panel at the Lab to brief them on research related to developing healthy soils, sustainable groundwater management strategies, and climate-adaptive agriculture.

EESA Researchers Solve Deepwater Horizon Mystery

June 26, 2017

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is one of the most studied spills in history, yet scientists haven’t agreed on the role of microbes in eating up the oil. Now EESA researchers have identified all of the principal oil-degrading bacteria as well as their mechanisms for chewing up the many different components that make up the released crude oil.

Romy Chakraborty is the new Ecology Department Head

January 25, 2017

Romy Chakraborty, whose background is in anaerobic microbial physiology and microbial ecology, assumes the role of the Department Head for Ecology, effective February 1, 2017 as announced by EESA ALD, Susan Hubbard

Gary Andersen tapped for tracking water pathogens in Marin County

January 18, 2017

Marin County’s San Geronimo Valley Planning Group is evaluating the watersheds that encompass the Lagunitas and San Geronimo Creeks, which drain into Tomales Bay and provide coho salmon habitat. Water pathogens have been detected in the watershed and Tomales Bay. Faulty on-site wastewater systems, especially for properties in close proximity to streams, have been identified as among the sources…

Using Electrical Current to Image Root Systems to Accelerate Crop Growth

December 20, 2016

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has awarded $4.6 million to Berkeley Lab for two innovative projects that promote nondestructive ways to “see” into the soil, increase crop yields, and promote the storage of carbon.