Microbial communities comprise the majority of biodiversity on earth and perform critical ecological functions that propel and maintain the planet’s life-sustaining biogeochemical cycles. The diversity of microbial life, coupled with the dynamic nature of ecosystems, creates a web of complex interactions that remain largely enigmatic.

Research in the Reji Lab seeks to develop a mechanistic understanding of microbial responses to environmental change and their consequences for biogeochemical processes in terrestrial and coastal systems.

 Key focus areas of our research include:

1. Microbial trace gas cycling in the face of natural and anthropogenic global change

2. Microbial interactions at the intersection of carbon and nitrogen cycles

3. Ecosystem implications of the generation and maintenance of microbial diversity

Our interdisciplinary toolkit integrates techniques from microbial ecology and geochemistry, including microbial ‘omics and process rate measurements. Using a combination of controlled perturbation experiments in the laboratory and spatio-temporally resolved field investigations, we aim to develop a predictive understanding of microbial acclimation and adaptation trajectories along ecological and geochemical gradients in a rapidly changing world.