Emily L. Cardarelli 

Ph.D. student in Earth System Science at Stanford 

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I am a microbial ecologist who seeks to understand microbial life below ground.  I use my interdisciplinary background in molecular biology, geology, and earth system science to study regional microbial community dynamics, presently in the American West. 

Research

Using a systems-based approach, I think broadly about how microbes and the earth interact across space and through time. 

Zooming out from microbes to landscapes and time-traveling from modern landscapes to early Earth environments, my research seeks to address open questions in the following areas:

Subsurface microbial community dynamics

Interactions at land-water interfaces

Using laboratory and field-based studies, I link multiple disciplines by employing phylogenetic, genomic, and geochemical techniques to study microbes in the environment.

Where I'm working...

Field photos

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Field sites (above) across the West where I've worked. These sites are adjacent to rivers like the Colorado River and represent active floodplains that seasonally flood. ​ 

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