Cristina Lazcano, Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Soil Ecology.
Associate editor: Soil Science Society of America Journal and OENO One
Dr. Cristina Lazcano completed her PhD at the Soil Ecology research group from the University of Vigo (Spain). Afterwards, she worked as a postdoc at the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Calgary and UC Davis. Before joining UC Davis in 2019, Dr. Lazcano was an assistant professor of soil ecology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5495-481X, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=klrUL_AAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao ).
Axel Herrera, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Originally from Colombia, Axel earned an Agronomic Engineer degree, focusing on fruit crop physiology. His curiosity drove him to get a scholarship at China Agricultural University, where he got his Agricultural Engineer master’s degree by applying GIS and Multi-Criteria Analysis in the biogas sector. He most recently achieved his PhD at the University of Milan with a thesis titled “Environmental assessment of undercurrent agricultural technologies towards circular nutrient management,” developed under the European Horizon2020 project Nutri2cycle. He is interested in applying informatics tools (e.g., Life Cycle Assessment) to better understand the interaction and impact of emerging technologies/practices with our natural resources. Axel believes connecting with our planet and ourselves is vital for bringing together diverse knowledge areas to find harmony within our environment and productive systems.
Halima Malal, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Halima is a postdoctoral researcher and former lab member who has returned to lead a CIG project investigating the impact of vermicompost on soil health and plant growth across 12 perennial and annual field sites between California and Washington state. Halima began her academic journey with an associate degree in industrial and biological engineering, followed by an engineering degree in Industrial and Food Safety from the Faculty of Science and Technology of Marrakech. Driven by a passion for environmental sustainability, particularly sustainable agriculture and healthy food production, she earned her PhD in Environmental Science from Ibn Zohr University in Agadir, Morocco, where her research focused on the impact of vermicompost on soil microbiome and plant growth in semi-arid regions. This directly informs her current work, which aims to develop evidence-based recommendations for farmers seeking to enhance soil health while reducing dependency on synthetic inputs.
Niamh Maher, Junior Specialist
Niamh started as an intern in Dr. Lazcano’s lab in the Spring of 2025, but has since become a junior specialist and lab manager. She graduated with honors from UC Davis with a Bachelor’s of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in 2026. She is passionate about understanding the effects and interactions of regenerative farming practices in agricultural systems. Her goals include continuing her education in agroecology and working with communities across the globe to establish and maintain resilient, low-input farming systems. She is a firm believer and advocate of food sovereignty, or the principle that people should control their own food production while prioritizing sustainability and ecological balance. In her free time, Niamh enjoys cooking, traveling, and reading.
Connie (Tsz-Fai) Wong, PhD Candidate
Originally from Hong Kong, Connie moved to the US upon completion of secondary education and obtained a B.S. in Biology at California State University, Fresno. During the gap years after her undergraduate studies, she had a brief experience working in the wine industry, which sparked her interest in soil science and sustainable agriculture in vineyards and other cropping systems. She pursued an M.S. in Agriculture with a Specialization in Soil Science at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and her master’s thesis focused on the effects of compost application on soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in a California Central Coast vineyard. She is currently a PhD student in Soils and Biogeochemistry working with Dr. Cristina Lazcano at the University of California, Davis. Her research interests are soil biology and microbiology, soil health, and sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
Sarah Brickman, PhD candidate
Sarah is curious about the potential for regenerative practices to increase agricultural resilience through improvements in soil health; she aims to support farmers in their efforts to adapt to climate change. As an aspiring agroecologist, Sarah is excited to learn from producers throughout California and work to understand how agricultural practices can better serve both people and the planet. Before joining the lab, Sarah earned a B.S. in Earth Systems at Stanford University and an M.Sc. at the University of Vermont, where she studied greenhouse gas emissions in response to different nitrogen sources and application methods on hayfields in the northeastern U.S. Sarah grew up in Florida and enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and connecting with family and friends.
Jared France, PhD student
Jared worked as a permaculture consultant in Siskiyou County, which inspired him to return to school to pursue a career in soil science. After transferring from College of the Siskiyous, he completed his bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at UC Davis and graduated with highest honors. Jared is now a PhD student in the Soils and Biogeochemistry graduate group and is co-advised by Dr. Cristina Lazcano and Dr. Nicolas Bambach, who works with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Jared’s research interests include regenerative agriculture, integrated crop-livestock systems, soil health, and climate resilience. His doctoral research will investigate the effects of grazed perennial groundcovers on carbon storage, carbon and nitrogen cycling, and soil water storage dynamics in regenerative vineyards. His research will also explore how remote and proximal sensing can be used to predict belowground processes.
Phil Cuddeback, Master Student
Phil earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Bowdoin College and subsequently, owned and operated an organic vegetable farm in Maine for seven years. Phil is interested in researching the relationships between soil management practices, soil health and agricultural resiliency in the face of challenging weather and climate changes. Phil is working with both Dr. Lazcano and Dr. Suvocarev, of the biometeorology group, to research how crop management practices impact water use, evapotranspiration and soil carbon cycling in the peat soils of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region.
ALUMNI
Chiara De Quay, Junior specialist (2025-2026)
Amanda Rodriguez, PhD candidate.
Noelymar González-Maldonado, PhD student. Currently an Assistant Adjunct Professor at UCSD.
Raymond Reis, Junior specialist (2024-2025)
Paige Davis, Junior specialist (2024-2025)
Mariel Mondragon-Becerra, Junior specialist (2024-2025)
Patrick Makiri, Junior Specialist (2022–2024). Currently Specialist at the Bowles lab, UC Berkeley.
Ivan Martínez, Lab Manager (2023–2024)
Nall Moonillal, Postdoctoral Scholar (2022–2024)
Imane Slimani, Postdoctoral Scholar (2023). Currently at FAO.
Sangeeta Bansal, Postdoctoral Scholar (2022–2023). Currently Assistant Professor of Soil Health at Fresno State.
Leo Wallo, MS student in Viticulture and Enology (2022–2023)
Ivy Israel, Student Research Assistant (2022–2024)
Bruna Albuquerque-Vaz, Visiting Student, Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil)
Alicia Hans, Student Research Assistant (2021–2023). Currently Soil Scientist at the US Forest Service.
Courtney Emerson, MSc Student (2020–2023). “Soil Biogeochemistry in California Processing Tomatoes Under Deficit Irrigation.”
Luisa Robles, Junior Specialist (2022–2023). Currently graduate student at Penn State.
Yuhan Bian, Student Research Assistant (2022–2023)
Leqian Zhang (Nono), Student Research Assistant (2022–2023)
Claire Kisliuk, Student Research Assistant (2022–2023)
Anna Marrs, Student Research Assistant (2020–2022). Soil health and water management in California processing tomatoes.
Erika Yao, Junior Specialist (2020–2022)
Geneva Iversen-Krampitz, Student Research Assistant (2022)
Emma Finlkalng, Student Research Assistant (2022)
Anthony Alameda, Student Research Assistant (2020–2021). “Effects of tillage and grazing on metabolic diversity of the soil microbial community in a Mediterranean vineyard.”
Eric Boyd, MS Student (2017–2020). “Exploring the relationship between soil-borne disease resistance and the rhizosphere microbiome of modern strawberry cultivars.” Current position: San Luis Obispo County Ag Commission.
Marissa Yim-Sun, Lab Research Assistant (2020). BS in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis on Ecology, Biodiversity, & Conservation.
Holly Deniston-Sheets, MS Student (2016–2019). “Short term shifts in soil nematode food web structure and nutrient cycling following sustainable soil management in a California Vineyard.” Current position: Data Analysis and Tactical Operations Center Coordinator, Citrus Research Board, California.
Ian Mann, Undergraduate Researcher. Analysis of the production and recycling of bagasse in wineries of San Luis Obispo County (California).
Adriana Delucchi, Undergraduate Researcher. AMF colonization and plant interactions across soil textures and soil moisture regimes.
Angus Chang, Undergraduate Researcher. Chemical changes during composting. He currently works in Yakima Valley, Washington as a quality assurance assistant for the many hop farms in the valley and surrounding areas.