Dr. Carla Rosenfeld
Assistant Curator of Earth Sciences
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Email: rosenfeldc [at] carnegiemnh.org
Twitter: @crsoil
Google Scholar
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Assistant Curator of Earth Sciences
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Email: rosenfeldc [at] carnegiemnh.org
Twitter: @crsoil
Google Scholar
Download CV
My Research
I am a soil chemist and am fascinated by how chemistry and biology interact in the natural environment. There are millions of microorganisms in the soils beneath our feet that mediate essential nutrient cycles and impact chemical contaminants and their toxicity. I study how these tiny organisms mediate chemical processes and the influence microbes have on soil and water quality. My research focuses on understanding how microbes transform elements in the environment, how biominerals are formed, and how we can develop innovative ways to use microbes to solve environmental problems .
About Me
As an undergraduate in chemistry at McGill University, I learned to appreciate how molecular-scale processes controlled macro-scale phenomena. After undergrad, I began to explore the role of chemistry in environmental processes, first as a Masters of Environmental Management student at Duke University focusing on environmental chemistry and toxicology, and then as an ecological risk assessor at an environmental consulting firm where we worked on soil remediation projects. During this time, I built an appreciation for the interdisciplinary nature of soils, and soon after began my Ph.D. in soil chemistry at Pennsylvania State University in the Crop and Soil Science department. After finishing my Ph.D., I was awarded a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Museum of Natural History (2014-2015) and then an NSF EAR Postdoctoral fellowship (2015-2017), to study how fungi mediate and transform toxic elements and alleviate pollution in various mining-impacted environments. I am now an Assistant Curator of Earth Sciences at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. I am passionate about using analytical tools to study molecular-scale soil processes, and value collaborations across numerous disciplines where we can apply a biogeochemical understanding to environmental research!
Go here to learn more about my current and previous research projects.
Have a look around, and feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments, or are interested in collaborating!
Go here to learn more about my current and previous research projects.
Have a look around, and feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments, or are interested in collaborating!
