Soil Science

Undertaking research on the microbial mechanisms of soil nitrogen and carbon cycling, improving nutrient use efficiency in agriculture, soil and fertiliser interactions and soils and their sustainable interactions.

Academic staff

The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the field of soil science.

Professor Jizheng (Jim) He

Project topics:

  • Microbial mechanisms of soil nitrogen and carbon cycling
  • Responses of soil microbial communities to environmental stresses
  • Distribution and behaviour of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment.

Email: jizheng.he@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Helen Suter

Project topics:

  • Understanding and tightening the nitrogen cycling for sustainable production systems (soil, plant, atmosphere, fertilisers and plant nutrition)
  • Quantification and mitigation of direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
  • Improving nutrient use efficiency in agriculture with enhanced efficiency fertilisers
  • The role of soil organic amendments for intensive production systems.

Email: helencs@unimelb.edu.au

Associate Professor Tony Weatherley

Project topics:

  • Soils and their sustainable management (phosphorus, water quality, dairy pastures)
  • Soil and fertiliser interactions (alternative phosphorus fertilisers, plant nutrition.

Email: anthony@unimelb.edu.au