Welcome to the Allison Lab!

Applying empirical and theoretical approaches to understand microbial processes under global environmental change

The Allison Lab

The Allison Lab studies the implications of climate and environmental change for ecosystems around the globe. At scales from genomes to the entire planet, we combine experiments and models to analyze the diversity, functioning, and evolution of microbial life. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we apply this insight to improve predictions of carbon cycling and climate feedbacks. Principles of safety, equity, transparency, and open-mindedness guide our research culture and provide a supportive environment for individuals from diverse backgrounds. We embrace team-based thinking that engages multiple perspectives and prioritizes social justice in solving environmental problems. Through training and mentoring, we strive to learn from one another while elevating the collective impact of our research.

Greenhouse
Data from warming experiments like this one in Alaska are essential for understanding how microbes and ecosystems will respond to climate change
Mushroom in Alaskan boreal forest
Climate change affects all components of ecosystems, like this mushroom in an Alaskan boreal forest
Yellowstone
Microbes inhabit nearly every environment on Earth, including Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park
Drought responses

Drought responses

Climate change is leading to more frequent and intense drought. Our research aims to determine how microbes cope with drought and how these responses affect ecosystem carbon cycling.
Microbial traits

Microbial traits

Microbial metabolism is extremely diverse, so we are measuring microbial physiological characteristics in an effort to understand the complex ecological roles of microbes. We also develop theory that integrates across different traits and environmental responses.
Soil carbon modeling

Soil carbon modeling

Using theory and empirical data, we are building new mathematical models of the soil carbon cycle. We are also developing tools to test and compare model performance. This research is important for predicting the future fate of global soils, which contain more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined.
Steven Allison

Steven D. Allison, Ph.D.

Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
School of Biological Sciences


Dr. Allison is a Professor of Ecology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a joint appointment in the Department of Earth System Science. He holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. In 2013, Dr. Allison was named an Early Career Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. As part of the University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative, Dr. Allison was named the UC Irvine Climate Action Champion in 2016. He teaches ecosystem ecology and directs the Ridge to Reef Graduate Training Program, an interdisciplinary program focused on skills development for students pursuing careers in environmental fields. His research addresses the resilience of microbial communities to drought and the effect of rapid climate change on carbon losses from southern California ecosystems. Dr. Allison is also building new mathematical models that incorporate feedbacks among microbial communities, carbon cycling, and climate change.

Congrats Dr. Nugent Suratt

EEB PhD student Andie Nugent Suratt defended her dissertation on "Impacts of Climate Change and Urbanization on Soil Microbial Communities" and will be starting a postdoc at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Congratulations, Andie!

Congrats Dr. Hemming-Schroeder!

ESS PhD student Nicole Hemming-Schroeder defended her dissertation on "Mapping and Modeling Individual Tree Mortality in California’s Sierra Nevada After the 2012-2016 Drought." Congratulations, and best wishes for your postdoc at CU Boulder!

Cover story: wood, termites, fungi

Our article entitled "Wood traits explain microbial but not termite-driven decay in Australian tropical rainforest and savanna" made the cover of the Journal of Ecology! Also check out our blog post for a behind-the-scenes look at the trials and tribulations of doing...

An eco-evolutionary concept

Our recent article in Ecology Letters describes how ecology and evolution blend together in microbial responses to environmental change: "Investigating the eco-evolutionary response of microbiomes to environmental change"

Will drought destabilize soil C?

Read the paper to find out: "Microbial drought resistance may destabilize soil carbon"

Estimating tree mortality

Congratulations to Nicole Hemming-Schroeder for publishing her first dissertation chapter in JGR Biogeosciences: "Estimating Individual Tree Mortality in the Sierra Nevada Using Lidar and Multispectral Reflectance Data"

Sphingomonas study published

Congratulations to Bahareh Sorouri for publishing her dissertation chapter in Frontiers in Microbiology: "Variation in Sphingomonas traits across habitats and phylogenetic clades"

Nitrogen and soil carbon

With collaborators at UC Riverside, we published this article in Global Change Biology: "Effects of experimental nitrogen deposition on soil organic carbon storage in Southern California drylands"

Double congrats to Bahareh Sorouri!

Bahareh graduated with her PhD this past winter and was awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, two amazing accomplishments. Bahareh is now working on her postdoc with Mario Muscarella at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Congratulations 2023 graduates!

Congratulations to Shelby Jones, Kavisha Behl, and Josh Solorzano, our undergraduate research students who graduated with the class of 2023! Best wishes, and thanks for all your contributions to the lab!