CV-sida

Aswin Thirunavukkarasu

Aswin Thirunavukkarasu
I study the chemistry and the biology of decomposition process led by the microbes in the boreal forest soils. By doing so, I learn the mechanistic biogeochemical understanding of soil organic matter formation.

Presentation

I am a PhD student at the department of forest ecology and management, SLU. I have the knowledge of both molecular techniques (PCR, Gel electrophoresis) and analytical chemistry (GC-MS, NMR). I bring up these together to understand the microbial world that lies underneath our feet. 

Forskning

Large amount of carbon are stored in soils in the form of Soil organic matter (SOM), especially in boreal soils of the northern hemisphere. This makes saprotrophic decomposition and SOM formation a most important feature of global carbon balance.

However, the mechanistic biogeochemical understanding of SOM genesis and turnover is still lacking. We use aspen clones that differ in their composition in organic matter functional groups as our model substrate to unravel the mechanism of SOM genesis and dynamics. We apply various analytical and molecular techniques to follow up the decomposition of our model substrate both in lab and under field conditions.

The information we gather from this detailed analysis will let us test multi decadal- old hypothesis that currently shapes our view on saprotrophic decomposition of plant litter in boreal soils at early stages of soil organic matter formation.

 

Bakgrund

2019 -present   -  PhD in Soil sciences , Department of forest ecology and management, SLU, Umeå campus, Sweden.

2015 -2018        -  Master's in Environmental sciences , University of Koblenz- landau, Landau campus, Germany.

2011 -2015       -  Bachelor's in Biotechnology , Anna university, Chennai, India.


Kontaktinformation

Doktorand vid Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel; Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel, gemensamt
Postadress:
SLU,
Skogens ekologi och skötsel
901 83 Umeå
Besöksadress: Skogsmarksgränd 17, Umeå