Ricardo Eloy Alves is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
What microbiome-related work do you do?
I am a microbiologist and biogeochemist broadly interested in microbial ecology, evolution, function and biogeochemistry. I have worked extensively on the microbiology of the nitrogen cycle, focused on the diversity, evolution and physiology of nitrifiers, as well as on biogeochemistry of arctic soils. I am now part of the Belowground Biogeochemistry Scientific Focus Area team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, where I investigate genomic, metabolic and physiologic traits of microbes involved in responses of soil biogeochemistry to warming. I am currently also initiating new research on microbe-mineral interactions towards development and application of microbial strategies to understand and enhance carbon dioxide capture in terrestrial ecosystems. I am particularly interested in developing microbial solutions and knowledge to address current challenges in human and environmental health, namely the mitigation of climate change impacts.
What have you gained from the initiative so far?
JBIMS is a timely and invaluable platform that brings together a diverse community of scientists to integrate and advance microbiome sciences. The JBIMS workshops gave me the opportunity to learn about and discuss central topics in the field with scientists at different career stages and with a broad range of expertises. These workshops and interactions greatly expanded my insight into unifying topics and emergent research needs in microbiome science, as well as my knowledge about the diverse research taking place in Berkeley.