Nhu Nguyen
Professor of Soil Microbial Ecology,
Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
Phone: (808) 956-6593
Email: nhu.nguyen@hawaii.edu
Web: https://www2.hawaii.edu/~nn33/lab/index.html
MY RESEARCH
We study interactions across the plant-microbe-soil continuum to understand how these interactions shape the ecology of soil organisms and the functional outcomes of soil processes. Through an interdisciplinary systems biology framework, we integrate classical organismal biology with modern microbial ecology to address fundamental questions in soil microbiology and organismal interactions that could lead to novel concepts and products that directly benefit the environment and society.The current focus of the lab is the interactions between two of the most ubiquitous groups of soil microorganisms - fungi and bacteria. We are interested in understanding who are interacting with each other, how they interact, and what are the functional impacts of these interactions to natural and agroecosystem soils.
C-MĀIKI SYNERGY
My work aims to understand the systems of interactions among microorganisms, with their environment, and the outcomes (function) of those interactions. This contributes to the overall broader goal of C-MAIKI to connect organisms to ecosystems.
IMPACT TO HAWAII
The Hawaiian Islands have 10 of the 12 (83%) Soil Orders on the planet. This amazing diversity presents a daunting challenge, but also amazing opportunity, when it comes to conservation or agriculture. My work contributes to the overall understanding of the functional processes (driven by microbes) in these soils. The goal is to build concepts and tools that can support sustainable agriculture and conservation management of our local ecosystems.