Dr. Keiser is an ecosystem ecologist working at the interface of plant and soil microbial communities across both forested and agricultural systems. Her lab’s approaches integrate local, mechanism-driven questions that help advance ecological theory regarding soil microbial community function (i.e. litter decomposition) and landscape-level biogeochemical inquiries that link ecosystem function with land management decisions. Overall, the lab works to expand our understanding of how soil microbial community function, exhibited through carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics, will change with shifting plant communities, land management regimes, and climate.