Taniya RoyChowdhury Ph.D.

Research Scientist

Research area

Carbon

Contact

Phone: 508-444-9728 Email: troychowdhury@woodwellclimate.org Google Scholar CV Twitter

I am a soil microbial ecologist and a biogeochemist who studies soil systems at both the broad ecological scale and the complex microbial scale to assess response and resilience to global change factors.

My research endeavors are to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the microbially mediated biogeochemical processes that require quantitative investigations of microbial ecology, both in situ and ex situ. My specific interests are studying soil microbial processes that underpin greenhouse gas dynamics, soil carbon sequestration, and soil health in rapidly changing landscapes and to tap into their potential to provide nature based climate solutions.

Woman with dark hair and glasses, wearing a white lab coat and blue gloves, distributing samples at a laboratory bench.

Left: Farmers in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India performing crop cutting exercises after an in-class training. photo credit: Taniya RoyChowdury

Right: Taniya RoyChowdury processing samples in the Woodwell Climate laboratory. photo credit: MinFin Photography

I use molecular microbiological, biogeochemical, and soil science approaches to ally microbial identity with metabolic functions to further our understanding of the soil microbial world using multidisciplinary approaches. My current current research projects, interests, and study sites include:

Enabling evidence-based scale-up of Natural Farming in India: A long-term assessment of Andhra Pradesh’s Community-Managed Natural Farming Programme
Blue carbon outcomes of restored wetland ecosystems
Pathways of carbon metabolism under cover crops
Shallow or Deep: Can cover crops make soil carbon stick?
Cover crops and full profile carbon stocks: Observations from commercial trials
Spatial structure and variability of soil health indicators within a three state soil carbon monitoring project

I earned my Ph.D. in soil microbiology from the Ohio State University and went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships with the US Department of Energy national laboratories. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I worked on Arctic permafrost ecosystems as part of the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiment-Arctic studying the importance of microbial processes in controlling carbon loss from these vulnerable ecosystems as permafrost thaws. At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, I led studies on the soil microbiome that helped predict the microbial metabolic responses that significantly impact methane production from a tidal wetland system in the Pacific Northwest.

I also worked as research faculty in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, College Park, leading a study on the quantitative microbial ecology of a restored wetland in the Delmarva Bay. I started my journey studying agricultural systems as a Research Soil Scientist with the USDA. I have since been interested in regenerative agricultural practices which focus on preserving soil health and mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions.

I have served as a grant proposal reviewer for multiple US federal agencies including the NSF, DoE, and USDA.

I draw my motivation to continue my work finding solutions for hard problems, like climate change, from my young child. I hope a better fundamental understanding of soil systems will help us accomplish that.