The following staff are available to supervise honours and masters research in the Soil Molecular Ecology research group.
Professor Jim He
Professor He's research focuses on soil biogeochemical processes of nutrient cycling in agricultural ecosystems. His research employs molecular and multi-omics approaches to decipher the mechanisms of organisms in mediating nitrogen cycling and other elemental transformations.
Project topics:
- Succession and evolution of ammonia oxidisers in fertilised soil ecosystems.
- Microbial compositions and functions in sulphur and iron transformations in acid sulphate soils of Australia.
- Soil fauna and their roles in soil nutrient cycling.
- Soil food web structure and key factors driving its manipulation.
Dr Hang-Wei Hu
Hangwei is a soil molecular microbial ecologist with research interests broadly defined within the areas of soil biology and health, plant-microbe interactions, and environmental microbiology. He has taken advantage of molecular approaches to answer important ecological questions regarding soil/plant microbiome composition and diversity, soil biogeochemical N cycling processes and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes in plant-soil systems.
Project topics:
- Links between soil microorganisms and ecosystem functions.
- The role of soil fauna in agricultural ecosystems.
- Development of agricultural biotechnology.
Dr Thi Bao AnhNguyen
Bao Anh has applied broad high-throughput molecular biology techniques to unravel the diversity, functions and interactions of soil and plant microbiomes (bacteria, protists, fungi and fauna). Her research aims to comprehend microbial interactions within plant-soil systems and steer beneficial microorganisms in improving soil nutrients, plant growth and disease suppression, and agricultural sustainability.
Project topics:
- Elucidating roles of protists in soil nutrients and crop productivity.
- Predatory Protists – Innovative agri-food tools to combat plant diseases.
- Unravelling the community structure and functions of soil biota across soil and plant systems.
Dr Zahra Islam
Dr Zahra Islam is a microbial ecologist with expertise in both culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. Her research focuses on understanding plant-soil-microbiome interactions, such as the screening of plant-beneficial microbes that can be used in biofertilisers, as well as understanding the role of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycling processes within agriculture.
Project topics:
- The effect of fertilisers on plant-soil-microbiome interactions.
- Microbial trace gas scavenging within agricultural ecosystems.
- Identification of microbes for novel biofertiliser development and environmental validation.
- Bacterial mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.