Laura Müller: "Reducing contamination, benefitting both human and environmental health"
In the bigger picture, my work can help reduce contamination, benefitting both human and environmental health", says Laura Müller.
"I am a researcher here at SLU in Uppsala, where I am working with the invisible life hidden in the soil. Soil is full of microorganisms that play a key role in supporting plant growth and nutrient cycling, but they are also vulnerable and can be harmed by things like contamination or droughts that are now stronger and more frequent due to climate change. My research focuses especially on microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle: how they react to stress, what that means for soil health, and how we can protect them to keep soils functioning well."
How does your research align with the One Health concept, and in what ways can it contribute to a more sustainable and socially impactful world?
"Soils are the foundation for food production, clean water, and can even help to stabilise the climate. By studying how microorganisms respond to soil contamination and drought, I am contributing to create better rules for the use of pesticides and make it easier to predict how global nutrient cycles might shift under pressure. In the bigger picture, my work can help reduce contamination, benefitting both human and environmental health."
What are your plans now after your PhD?
"For now, I will continue to work at SLU in a project about special microorganisms that can both help us to keep nitrogen in the soil but also cause the opposite – nitrogen loss in the form of greenhouse gas or water pollutant. We want to get to know these organisms better, both on their own and in community, and find out what makes them keep or lose the nitrogen. This knowledge can help us to make farming and especially fertilisation more sustainable, with less harm to the environment and climate."