Last year was not an easy one, but despite of all its challenges also some good things happened!
Right in the middle of the first lockdown my project 'SUP:RHIZE' was
selected to be part of the REWIRE COFUND program. This allows me to continue doing research on phosphours cycling in tropical forest soils - specifically at the plant root - soil microbial interface in rhizospheres. In the SUP:RHIZE project I will continue working with colleagues from the Amazon FACE program at INPA in Manaus in Brazil, and at the TUM in Freising. In addition, the REWIRE network provides great training and network opportunities.
I am very much looking forward to dig further in tropical clayey soil in the next couple of years!!
Then, in April our project 'playNICE' was selected to be funded by the Austrian Science fund's 'Young Investigator Research Group' program. In the playNICE project we investigate biological nitrification inhibitors, which are primary or secondary metabolites released by crop plant roots that potentially can inhibit nitrification - the conversion of ammonia to nitrate - which could reduce nitrogen fertilizer loss and increase plant nitrogen use efficiency.
Our project team consists only of early career researchers covering the fields of metabolomics, microbial physiology and soil biogeochemistry, based at the Centre of Microbiology and Environmental Systems Sciences at University of Vienna (DOME and TER) and the Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences).
from left top to right bottom: Petra Pjevac (JMF, DOME, CMESS project coordination), Lucia Fuchslueger (TER, CMESS, soil processes), Maria Doppler (IBA, metabolomics), Christoph Büschl (IBA, metabolomics), Andrew Giguere (DOME, CMESS, soil nitrifier physiology), Chris Sedlacek (DOME, CMESS, nitrifier physiology).
This year we start with first experiments - watch out for updates.