DR. CHUCK RICE
University Distinguished Professor Lab coordinator
Charles (Chuck) Rice is a University Distinguished Professor and holds the Vanier University Professorship at Kansas State University. He is a Professor of Soil Microbiology in the Department of Agronomy. He earned his degrees from Northern Illinois University and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Rice teaches courses and conducts research on soil carbon and nitrogen, soil health, microbial ecology, and climate change impacts on agricultural and grassland ecosystems.
DR. PRISCILA J. R. CRUZ
Post-doc fellow
Priscila, currently a post-doc fellow in the Agronomy Department at Kansas State University, is originally from Brazil. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Animal Science from the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri. Her doctoral studies, focused on Ruminant Nutrition within Grass and Forage Science, were conducted at the Universidade Federal de Lavras. Her research concentrated on nitrogen metabolism, nitrogen cycling, animal grazing behavior, and mixed pasture management. During her academic journey, Priscila was an undergraduate exchange student at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and a doctoral exchange student at the North Florida Research and Education Center – University of Florida. Prior to her current position, Priscila served as a research assistant at the Range Cattle Research and Education Center - University of Florida, within the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department. There, she was actively engaged in sampling, analyzing, and reporting on soil nutrient stocks, greenhouse gas emissions, and grazing management strategies.
DR. PENG CHEN
Post-doc fellow
Peng Chen is a post doc in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University enthusiastic to guide agriculture toward a sustainable future with the guiding principles of biology, data science, and agronomy. He started his research journey as a junior-year student in college and has since authored ten peer-reviewed publications and a dozen conference abstracts. His current focus is on analyzing regenerative agriculture with techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment to make recommendations to stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers. He also became interested in the soil amendment and carbon sequestration properties of returned crop residues and the potential of biochar production from these waste materials. He plans to continue his endeavors in transdisciplinary study to transform agriculture and meet the sustainable development goals set by the UN.
Dr. JESSICA BEZERRA DE OLIVEIRA
Post doc fellow
Originally from the Midwest of Brazil, Jessica is a Pos-doc in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. She received her B.S. degree in Agronomy from the Federal University of Mato Grosso, her M.S. degree in Agronomy/Plant Nutrition from the University of São Paulo, with research experience at the University of Queensland in Australia, and her Ph.D. in Agronomy from Kansas State University. Her doctoral research focused on nitrogen cycling, nitrogen use efficiency, 15N tracer techniques, greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrogen mineralization across different agricultural management systems. Currently, her research focuses on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in agricultural and conservation systems, integrating field and soil datasets with process-based models such as DayCent to evaluate soil carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions, and the effects of land management and conservation practices.
NICHOLAS DETTER
Extension assistant
Nick is our extension assistant. Originally from Butler County, KS, he completed his undergraduate degree in Sustainability & Environmental Studies at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS and earned an M.S. in Agronomy at Kansas State University. His graduate research was on cropping systems in Western Kansas. Nick briefly worked at the NRCS before starting his current position at K-State. He is passionate about working with Kansas farmers to improve the profitability, sustainability, and resiliency of their operations while promoting agricultural practices that improve soil health.
ENDY LOPES KAILER
Ph.D. Candidate
Born and raised in a small-scale farm in Brazil, Endy is a PhD student in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University. Endy’s research focuses in the use of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in enhancing soil health, aggregation stability and carbon sequestration. Endy received her B.S. degree in Agronomy from Federal University of Viçosa and University of Kentucky and her M.S. degree in Agronomy/Plant Science from Federal University of Viçosa as well. Working with soil science since her first semester as an undergraduate student, Endy has great experience in soil fertility and microbiology. In her free time, Endy enjoys cooking, swimming and playing with her dog.
WAGNER S. ARRUDA
Ph.D. Student
Wagner Squizani de Arruda is a Ph.D. student in Agronomy at Kansas State University. He holds a B.S. in Forestry Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil and an M.S. in Agronomy from Kansas State University. His research focuses on soil health, nitrogen cycling, and greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural systems. He evaluates how management practices such as crop rotation, cover crops, tillage, and nitrogen fertilization influence soil biological, chemical, and physical properties, as well as nitrous oxide emissions. His research aims to better understand soil processes and contribute to more productive, resource-efficient, and sustainable agricultural systems.
LAURA GALVAN NUEVO
Ph.D. Student
Laura is currently a PhD student in Agronomy at Kansas State University, working with nitrogen use efficiency and the nitrogen cycle. Laura received her B.S. Degree in Agronomy from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and her M.S. in Plant Science from South Dakota State University, where she worked on nitrogen fixation in sustainable agricultural systems.
MUAZZAMA MUSHTAQ
Ph.D. Student
Muazzama Mushtaq is a Ph.D student in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in forestry from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India. Her research focused on assessing soil biological characteristics and soil carbon and nitrogen storage from a long-term (34-year) experiment.
VYDEHI GADIPARTHI
Ph.D. Student
“I’m a Ph.D. student in Agronomy at Kansas State University, working in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab as a Graduate Research Assistant. My B.Sc. (Hons) in Agriculture is from Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, India (2023). My research focused on Regenerative Agriculture, particularly geospatial analysis of soil health properties."
PRISCILA MARCHIORO
Lab Manager
Priscila has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Federal University of Parana and a master degree from Federal University of Viçosa. She has experience working with citogenetic techniques, molecular biology, DNA extraction, real-time PCR applied for the detection of diseases and the analysis of physical, physiological and health quality of seeds. She is currently working as a Research Scholar in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory at K-State.
EDUARDO AMBROZZI
Research Scholar
Eduardo Dickel Ambrozzi is an Agronomy student and researcher with the GEFERQS Soil Fertility and Chemistry Research Group at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil. His research experience focuses on soil fertility and sustainable agricultural systems. He is currently completing a non-compulsory internship as a visiting scholar at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab, where he is seeking to expand his theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of soil microbiology.
VITOR PEGORARO
Research Scholar
Vitor Cargnin Pegoraro, born in Nova Palma, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, is an Agronomy student at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM).During his studies, he was a member of the Advanced Farm 360 research group at UFSM, gaining experience with experiments involving biological products and different crop management practices. He is currently doing a non-compulsory internship as a visiting scholar at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab, where he is gaining practical and theoretical experience in soil microbiology.
JOSE VIZZOTO
Visiting scholar
Visiting Scholar from the Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM), Brazil, where he is pursuing a degree in Agronomy. His main interests are soil health, soil physical quality, soil fertility, plant nutrition, and soil microbiology, with a focus on understanding how soil properties and agricultural management affect crop production.
LETICIA OLIVEIRA
Visiting scholar
Leticia Rodrigues de Oliveira is a Research Scholar in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University and is originally from Brazil. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and a technical degree in Agribusiness. Before joining K-State, she gained professional experience in horticulture and crop production in Brazil and the United States, including greenhouse production and the supervision of agricultural teams. At K-State, she supports research activities in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory, including soil aggregate analysis and work related to regenerative agriculture, soil health, and crop nutritional quality. Her current interests include soil carbon, sustainable agricultural practices, and the application of data analysis to agricultural research and decision-making.
MARIANA COSSUL
Research Scholar
Born in Espumoso, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Mariana began her studies in agronomy at the Federal University of Pelotas, where she completed an internship in soil microbiology. She is currently doing a non-compulsory internship as a visiting scholar at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab, seeking to gain new insights and knowledge in the fields of microbiology and soil health.
RODRIGO LIMA
Research Scholar
Rodrigo is a Research Scholar at Kansas State University. Originally from Brazil, he earned his B.S. in Agronomy from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), where he is currently completing his M.S. in Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. During his academic training, Rodrigo also conducted research at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. His research focuses on soil biogeochemistry, particularly soil organic matter dynamics, carbon and nutrient cycling, and soil–microbe interactions. At K-State, his work investigates how different nitrogen sources influence soil microbial processes and nutrient dynamics.