Frank Loeffler
University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Löffler Lab studies relevant biogeochemical processes in soil, sediment, subsurface and water environments by combining cultivation-based techniques with genetic, biochemical, analytical, meta-omics, and computational methodologies. Research activities specific to soil health attempt to link microbial community composition with specific functions of interest (e.g., carbon and nitrogen turnover and greenhouse gas emissions), identify biomarkers for relevant microbial functions related to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased carbon storage capacity in soil, develop tools and guidelines for quantitative assessment of soil health biomarkers, and validate the approaches and apply to various agroecosystems.
Ongoing Studies: The Soil Microbiome