PNNL

PNNL soil scientist Vanessa Bailey has been elected to serve as a division chair for the Soil Science Society of America. Her three-year term starts this year serving as Soil Biology & Biochemistry Division chair-elect. She will serve as division chair in 2021 and past division chair in 2022. The Soil Science Society of American has 14 divisions and more than 6,000 members nationally and internationally.

Researchers in the Soil Biology and Biochemistry Division of the society study the fundamentals of microbes, organic matter, root system dynamics, and nutrient transformations. As chair of this division, Bailey will direct the annual division meeting and identify topics for the meeting’s sessions and symposia.

At PNNL, Bailey’s research focuses on the microbial ecology of soils and other terrestrial ecosystems, which include efforts to understand the carbon cycling processes of microbial communities. She also leads research in coastal ecology and biogeochemistry.