DR. CHUCK RICE
University Distinguished Professor
Principal Investigator
Charles (Chuck) Rice is a University Distinguished Professor and holds the Vanier University Professorship at Kansas State University. He is a Professor of Soil Microbiology in the Department of Agronomy. He earned his degrees from Northern Illinois University and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Rice teaches courses and conducts research on soil carbon and nitrogen, soil health, microbial ecology, and climate change impacts on agricultural and grassland ecosystems.
DR. PRISCILA J. R. CRUZ
Post-Doctoral Researcher
​Priscila, currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University, is originally from Brazil. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Animal Science from the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri. Her doctoral studies, focused on Ruminant Nutrition within Grass and Forage Science, were conducted at the Universidade Federal de Lavras. Her research concentrated on nitrogen metabolism, nitrogen cycling, animal grazing behavior, and mixed pasture management. During her academic journey, Priscila was an undergraduate exchange student at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and a doctoral exchange student at the North Florida Research and Education Center – University of Florida. Prior to her current position, Priscila served as a research assistant at the Range Cattle Research and Education Center - University of Florida, within the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department. There, she was actively engaged in sampling, analyzing, and reporting on soil nutrient stocks, greenhouse gas emissions, and grazing management strategies.
DR. DJANIRA NEGRÃO
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Djanira Negrão is a Biologist and works as a post-doctoral researcher at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Agronomy at São Paulo State University and her Ph.D. in Science at the University of São Paulo in collaboration with the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto, where she worked in bio-nanotechnology as a postdoctoral fellow. As an associated researcher at Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR/CNPEM), Djanira has been researching biomass quality and monetization. This is done by understanding the role of inorganics in biomass conversion to biofuels, biochemicals, and biomaterials with synchrotron and electron microscopy techniques. At K-state, she is currently studying how biomass ashes are used to aggregate soil and store soil carbon over time.
DR. PENG CHEN
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Peng Chen is a post doc in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University enthusiastic to guide agriculture toward a sustainable future with the guiding principles of biology, data science, and agronomy. He started his research journey as a junior-year student in college and has since authored ten peer-reviewed publications and a dozen conference abstracts. His current focus is on analyzing regenerative agriculture with techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment to make recommendations to stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers. He also became interested in the soil amendment and carbon sequestration properties of returned crop residues and the potential of biochar production from these waste materials. He plans to continue his endeavors in transdisciplinary study to transform agriculture and meet the sustainable development goals set by the UN.
ENDY LOPES KAILER
Ph.D. Student
Born and raised in a small-scale farm in Brazil, Endy is a PhD student in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University. Endy’s research focuses in the use of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in enhancing soil health, aggregation stability and carbon sequestration. Endy received her B.S. degree in Agronomy from Federal University of Viçosa and University of Kentucky and her M.S. degree in Agronomy/Plant Science from Federal University of Viçosa as well. Working with soil science since her first semester as an undergraduate student, Endy has great experience in soil fertility and microbiology. In her free time, Endy enjoys cooking, swimming and playing with her dog.
IROSHA WANITHUNGA
Ph.D. Student
Irosha is a Ph.D. student in the Agronomy and Soil Science Program at Kansas State University. Irosha’s research interests are in soil microbiology, greenhouse gases, process-based models, and climate change effects. Currently, Irosha is investigating the Nitrous Oxide flux in corn cropping systems that are inoculated with associative nitrogen fixers. Irosha received his MS in Agronomy from Kansas State University in 2019 where he investigated the effect of land use management on soil methane oxidation.
JESSICA BEZERRA
Ph.D. Student
Originally from the Midwest of Brazil, Jessica is a Ph.D. student in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab. Jessica received her B.S. degree in Agronomy from the Federal University of Mato Grosso and her M.S. degree in Agronomy/Plant Nutrition from the University of Sao Paulo and the University of Queensland, in Australia. Her master’s thesis focused on studying soybean to evaluate biological nitrogen fixation under different Nickel sources, working with different techniques, such as XRF (X-ray fluorescence) and synchrotron in Melbourne. Currently, her research focuses on nitrogen-15, and nitrogen mineralization under different on-farm practices.
CESAR A. GUARESCHI
Master's Student
Cesar Augusto Guareschi is a master student majoring in Agronomy at Kansas State University in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab. He received his B.S. in Agronomy from the University of Passo Fundo, Brazil. Cesar’s research focuses on on-farm soil health across Kansas.
WAGNER SQUIZANI
Master's Student
Wagner Squizani de Arruda is a master's student in the Agronomy department at Kansas State University. He received his BS in Forestry Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, in 2021. Wagner worked as a visiting scholar at KSU in 2021 and began his research on the effect of root-associated bacteria on corn nitrogen use efficiency as a Graduate Research Assistant in 2022. He is also the field manager for a regenerative agriculture model farm at Kansas State University (started in 2024), which will feature a series of regenerative ag practices intensively instrumented to quantify water, nutrient, and energy use efficiencies and soil health.
MUAZZAMA MUSHTAQ
Master's Student
Muazzama Mushtaq is a master’s student in the Agronomy and Soil Science program at Kansas State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in forestry from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India. Her research focuses on assessing soil biological characteristics and soil carbon and nitrogen storage from a long-term (34-year) experiment.
VYDEHI GADIPARTHI
Master's student
​“I’m a master’s student in Agronomy at Kansas State University, working in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab as a Graduate Research Assistant. My B.Sc. (Hons) in Agriculture is from Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, India (2023). My research focuses on Regenerative Agriculture, particularly geospatial analysis of soil health properties."
PRISCILA MARCHIORO
Lab Manager
Priscila has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Federal University of Parana and a master degree from Federal University of Viçosa. She has experience working with citogenetic techniques, molecular biology, DNA extraction, real-time PCR applied for the detection of diseases and the analysis of physical, physiological and health quality of seeds. She is currently working as a Research Scholar in the Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory at K-State.
GUILHERME BORTOLOTTO DA SILVA
Research Scholar
Guilherme is native of Vacaria in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Currently, he serves as a student intern at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory and is pursuing his undergraduate degree in Agronomy at the esteemed Federal University of Santa Maria. Additionally, Guilherme holds a technician certification in agriculture and livestock from the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul-campus Vacaria further enriching his practical expertise in the field.
CHARLES CAUDILL
Undergraduate Student
Charles grew up in Manhattan, KS and is a returning undergrad student majoring in Microbiology. His prior degrees from K-State include a BS in Biology, a BS in Secondary Education and a Masters in Adult and Continuing Education.
LUIZA MONTEIRO
Research scholar
From southeast Brazil, Luiza Monteiro is an agronomy student at the Federal University of Viçosa and is currently a student intern at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab (SMAL), where she has the opportunity to contribute to meaningful research projects and improve her knowledge about soil microbiology.
GUSTAVO NOGARA DE SIQUEIRA
Research scholar
Originally from Independência, Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, Gustavo is finishing his undergraduate degree in Agronomy at the Federal University of Santa Maria. He currently serves as a Research Scholar at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory at Kansas State University.
RAFAEL HIDEO YOKOTOKI
Research scholar
From Pilar do Sul in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, Rafael is finishing his undergraduate degree in Agronomy by the University of São Paulo. He currently serves as a student intern at Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory at Kansas State University.
ANNA CAROLINE MENDES
Research scholar
Anna Mendes is an agriculture and livestock technician from the Federal Institute Farroupilha (IFFar) and an Agronomist with a Bachelor's degree from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She is a research scholar and has worked with enzyme activity and phospholipids fatty acids since 2023 at the Soil Microbial Agroecology Lab. She will pursue a master's degree in the Summer of 2025.
