Seyfried, Georgia
Position Type:
Faculty
Job Title:
Assistant Professor of Belowground Forest Ecology
Department:
Forest Engineering, Resources & Management
Office Location:
230 Peavy Forest Science Center (PFSC)
Advising:
Graduate Major Advisor
Education
Ph.D. in Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (2014)
Bachelor of Science in Biology: Ecology, Conservation and Evolution, University of Washington, Seattle WA (2014)
Research Areas
Forest Soil and Watershed Processes
Research Interests
- Soil biogeochemistry
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Soil fungal and bacterial communities
- Soil organic matter dynamics
- Wildfire effects on belowground processes
My research is in terrestrial biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology with a focus on understanding controls on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling across spatial scales. I am particularly interested in belowground interactions between fungal communities and soil chemistry and how these interactions affect soil organic matter dynamics and greenhouse gas production. An important component of my research is using unique environmental contexts, such as understudied tropical forests and systems disturbed by human land-use change or global change related natural disasters, to assess previously held assumptions and to work towards understanding the context dependency of ecological patterns. Within this general framework, I plan to study fire effects on belowground ecology in the Western Cascades in hopes of informing land managers on the role of downed woody debris in post-fire ecosystem recovery.
Bio
Georgia Seyfried grew up running around the dry mountains of Idaho and was inspired to pursue science by her love of outdoor adventure as well as an innate interest in the beauty of nature. She received a BS in Biology from the University of Washington in 2014 and spent two years exploring Australia and South America before deciding to pursue a PhD at the University of Illinois. During her PhD, she worked in the beautiful forests of Western Panama, gaining a total appreciation for the complex and exciting questions ecologists are asking. Georgia then shifted to the Southeastern United States for a postdoc at the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science where she explored belowground ecology and greenhouse gas dynamics while enjoying life on the beach. Georgia is excited to dive into rainy forests of western Oregon. She hopes to encourage students from a range of backgrounds, inspired by their unique experiences, to explore research in her lab and beyond!
Selected Publications:
- Seyfried, GS, Chow, AT, O’Halloran, TO (2023). Salinization, inundation and tree mortality interact to affect greenhouse gas emissions from stressed coastal forests. Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
- Seyfried, GS, Midgley, MG, Phillips, RP, Yang, WH (2023). Refining the role of nitrogen mineralization in mycorrhizal nutrient syndromes. Biogeochemistry.
- Seyfried, GS, Corrales, A, Kent, AD, Dalling, JW, Yang, WH (2022). Watershed-scale Variation in Potential Fungal Community Contributions to Ectomycorrhizal Biogeochemical Syndromes. Ecosystems.
- Seyfried, GS, Canham, CD, Dalling, JW, Yang, WH (2021). The effects of tree-mycorrhizal type on soil organic matter properties from neighborhood to watershed scales. Soil Biology and Biochemistry.
- Seyfried, GS, Dalling, JW & Yang, WH (2021). Mycorrhizal type effects on leaf litter decomposition depend on litter quality and environmental context. Biogeochemistry.
For a full list of publications, visit: