Skip to main content

EMSL Selects 10 Researchers and Students to Attend Specialized Training on MONet Data

Those chosen are receiving a travel stipend plus free attendance to the Molecular Observation Network Community Science Meeting (Feb. 4–6)

Genoa Johnson |
EMSL logo 2025 MONet Community Science Meeting Student Awardees. Photos of 10 people. Molecular Observation Network @ PNNL wordmark with outline of United States and different colored circles around the outline.

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory selected 10 postdoctoral researchers and advanced degree students to attend the 2025 Molecular Observation Network (MONet) Community Science Meeting (Feb. 4–6). (Graphic by Genoa Johnson | Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory) 

* Updated January 21, 2025

Ten postdoctoral researchers and advanced degree students were recently selected to attend the 2025 Molecular Observation Network (MONet) Community Science Meeting (Feb. 4–6).

The chosen participants will receive a travel stipend to attend to the meeting, which will focus on MONet methods and data types. Attendees also will receive specialized MONet data analysis training. The meeting is open to the public to attend in-person at EMSL or online but requires registration. The number of in-person attendees is limited. Register to attend.

EMSL’s Molecular Observation Network (MONet) is an open science network, which includes a continental-scale database of standardized molecular and microstructural data to advance the understanding and prediction of microbe- and root-driven soil organic carbon and terrestrial aerosol processes. The information provided by MONet is essential for advancing the accuracy of multiscale Earth system models and enabling the next generation of soil carbon and aerosol research both at EMSL and within the broader user community.

Meet the students and postdocs chosen to participate in the meeting.

Madison Morris 

Madison Morris

University of California, Davis

PhD student

Research focus: the interplay of soils, climate, and microorganisms at the microscale using microanalytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and X-ray computed tomography.

“The MONet Community Science Meeting will expand my technical expertise and broaden the scope of my research to better understand physical, chemical, and biological soil properties across contrasting bioclimates.”

Xander Takver 

Xander Takver

Oregon State University

PhD student

Research focus: understanding how differences in plant water availability influence root foraging behavior and, subsequently, how variability in root foraging behavior affects soil physicochemical processes

“Over the last couple of years, our team has collected carbon samples across scales including root exudates, rhizosphere samples, and soil water. The characterization of the carbon profile of the bulk soil through high-resolution mass spectrometry, which is done through MONet, is an important piece of the carbon puzzle. All of these carbon analyses combined are poised to shed light on what carbon is entering our forest soil, what transformations this carbon is undergoing as it is processed by soil microorganisms, and ultimately how differences in this pipeline influence soil carbon storage. MONet is well designed to help us answer these questions at our site and, through the standardization of soil analyses, allow us to ask these questions across sites in the future.”

Ceilidh Christie 

Ceilidh Christie

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Master of science student

Research focus: wetland soil microbiology and carbon cycling along a salinity gradient in the Cape Fear River.

“My advisors were awarded the MONet Fall Soil Sampling award, providing me with firsthand experience in the sample collection process for MONet. The metagenomic services offered by MONet will enable a more comprehensive analysis of the genes involved in methanogenesis, which is a focus of my research. Specifically, I am investigating the shifts in methane production along a salinity gradient in the Cape Fear River. I am excited about attending the MONet Community Science Meeting to deepen my understanding of MONet’s resources and to learn how to effectively process and utilize the data provided with my samples.”

Zhenglin Zhang 

Zhenglin Zhang

University of California, Davis

PhD student

Research focus: sustainable rice production, carbon/nitrogen dynamics, methane mitigation and quantification, and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems.

“Collaboration with MONet allows me to propose scientific questions specific to my agroecosystem, providing me with a suite of soil indicators to explore the biological and geochemical mechanisms of nutrient cycling – all whilst having extensive intellectual support!”

Parikrama Sapkota 

Parikrama Sapkota

University of Texas at El Paso

PhD student

Research focus: soil microbial communities, plant–soil–microbe interactions, and their roles in dryland ecosystem restoration under global change pressures.

“MONet offers a unique opportunity to integrate cutting-edge molecular data into my research on soil microbial dynamics, enabling a deeper understanding of microbial functional roles in ecosystem resilience. Attending the meeting would foster collaboration and provide valuable insights to enhance both my research and teaching on soil microbiomes and restoration ecology.”

Waqar Shafqat

Waqar Shafqat

Mississippi State University, Department of Forestry

Postdoctoral research associate

Research focus: the impact of replacing conventional row crops with short rotation woody crops, specifically Populus (poplar), in the southeastern United States.

“MONet data will help our research by providing insights into how soil microbial communities are impacted by poplar bioenergy plantations. It allows us to link microbial dynamics to tree physiology and genetic variation, compare microbial functions with other soil parameters (like carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions), and strengthen our findings for publication. These data deepen our understanding of how bioenergy crops impact soil health and ecosystem services.”

Fernando Igne Rocha 

Fernando Igne Rocha

U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service

Postdoctoral scholar

Research focus: evaluating the impact of nature-based solutions such as cover crops, intercropping, and whole orchard recycling on improving soil ecosystem resilience, fostering better plant health and agricultural productivity under water scarcity and climate change scenarios.

“The advanced technologies and data analysis tools offered by MONet are essential for deepening this understanding. Techniques such as metagenomic sequencing and high-resolution mass spectrometry would enable me to explore the functional and structural dynamics of microbial communities, uncovering the intricate processes that drive soil health and carbon cycling. These insights are crucial for developing sustainable agricultural practices that are resilient to changing climate and precipitation regimes. The MONet Community Science Meeting aligns perfectly with my research, offering an unparalleled opportunity to integrate its open science data into my projects, generate impactful manuscripts, and develop collaborative networks with leading scientists.”

Kayla Russo

Kayla Russo

Cornell University

PhD student

Research focus: clay weathering sequences with the specific goal of better constraining laboratory-derived clay formation rates.

“MONet’s extensive database of soil characterization will be used to inform reactive transport models, which in combination with laboratory experiments, will improve upon existing clay formation frameworks.”

Zoë Gold

Zoe Gold

Cornell University

PhD student

Research focus: addressing how soil microbes influence mineral precipitation rates and the underlying mechanisms driving these rates.

“My participation in this meeting will allow me to make connections with experienced researchers in the soil biogeochemistry field and gain critical guidance and insight into how I can best utilize EMSL’s databases for my research.”

Soni Ghimire

Soni Ghimire

University of Wisconsin-Madison

PhD student

Research focus: the integration of soil microbial processes and spectroscopic data, both at the continental and regional scales to better understand and predict soil carbon (C) dynamics to ultimately inform Earth system models.

“My work aligns closely with MONet’s aim of advancing soil C research through open source standardized, continental-scale, molecular and microstructural data integration. Engaging with this meeting will significantly advance my research by providing invaluable insights into MONet’s advanced data types and methods that I can incorporate to enhance the thoroughness and scalability of my research. This meeting is an ideal platform for me to learn, share insights from my research, and explore ways to integrate MONet resources into potential future projects. This will directly enhance my research outputs, equipping me to contribute to the broader goal of improving the accuracy of soil C predictions in response to global climate change.”