Dr. Andrew Tanentzap, a Canada Research Chair at Trent University specializing in ecology and evolutionary biology, is deepening our understanding of how carbon cycles through ecosystems. His work digs into the microscopic interactions between carbon, organic molecules and microbes and is improving how we predict and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Tanentzap is revealing how land use and environmental change influence carbon storage by analysing thousands of distinct carbon compounds in soil and water and tracking how these compounds are transformed by microbial communities. He uses lab-grown ecosystems, advanced molecular tools, and technologies that remotely monitor the environment to test how microbial diversity and environmental chemistry jointly control carbon emissions.

Tanentzap’s research will lead to better land management strategies that maximise carbon storage and improve climate predictions, helping to shape global efforts to slow warming and sustain biodiversity.