Assistant Professor, Soil Microbiology

Ernie Osburn is a Georgia native and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia. After serving as a high school science teacher in north Georgia for five years, he returned to graduate school and received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech. He then spent two years at the University of Idaho as a postdoctoral scientist before joining the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at UK. His research primarily investigates soil microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi) and the critical roles they play in terrestrial ecosystems. His research seeks to uncover the influences of global change factors on the composition and functioning of soil microbial communities. His past research projects have focused on a range of global change factors, including forest management practices, agricultural management (e.g., tillage, cover crops) and climate change (e.g., drought). Osburn has worked in both natural and managed ecosystems and is interested in both basic and applied aspects of soil microbial research. Currently, his lab is primarily interested in the influences of natural and synthetic antimicrobial agents on the structure and ecosystem functions of soil microbial communities. For example, one project seeks to investigate how bacterial predation by phages (i.e., viruses that infect bacteria) can influence microbial-mediated carbon and nutrient cycling in soil. Ultimately, the goal of his research is to better understand the microbial components of soil food webs so that we can better predict how global change factors will influence the long-term health of our soils.