Earth Scientist
Earth Scientist

Biography

Montana is an Earth scientist with the Biogeochemical Transformations team in PNNL’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Division and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory user program. She has been at PNNL since 2016, starting as an alternatively sponsored fellow. Her research interests include soil microbial ecology and biogeochemistry. She started in this field in 2013 during her undergraduate work and grew to love soil and began her career.  

Smith participated in a variety of projects, from peatlands in northern Minnesota at the Spruce and Peatland Response Under Changing Environments, to the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. She has also been involved with the creation of the real-time mass spectrometer, which allows for real-time atmospheric monitoring. She’s used this technology to study the Birch Effect in soils and track carbon utilization using stable isotopes.

Research Interest

  • Soil microbial ecology 
  • Biogeochemistry 

Education

  • BS in Biology, Iowa State University 

Publications

2025

  • Keiser A.D., C.L. Davis, M.L. Smith, S.L. Bell, E.A. Hobbie, and K.S. Hofmockel. 2025. "Depth and microtopography influence microbial biogeochemical processes in a forested peatland." Plant and Soil 509:833-846. PNNL-SA-203554. doi:10.1007/s11104-024-06895-1
  • Kelliher J., F. Rodriguez, L. Johnson, S. Roux, M.L. Smith, A. Clum, and W. Lynch, et al. 2025. "Quantifying the impact of workshops promoting microbiome data standards and data stewardship." Scientific Reports 15:Art. No. 9887. PNNL-SA-214331. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-89991-1

2024

  • Eloe-Fadrosh E., C.J. Mungall, M.A. Miller, M.L. Smith, S. Patil, J. Kelliher, and L. Johnson, et al. 2024. "A practical approach to using the Genomic Standards Consortium MIxS reporting standard for comparative genomics and metagenomics." In Comparative Genomics. Methods in Molecular Biology, edited by J.C. Setubal, P.F. Stadler, P.F., and J. Stoye. 587 - 609. New York, New York:Humana. PNNL-SA-192379. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-3838-5_20
  • Kelliher J., Y. Xu, M.C. Flynn, M. Babinski, S. Canon, E. Cavanna, and A. Clum, et al. 2024. "Standardized and accessible multi-omics bioinformatics workflows through the NMDC EDGE resource." Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal 23, no. _:3575-3583. PNNL-SA-200312. doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2024.09.018
  • Schadt C.W., S. Martin, A.A. Carrell, A. Fortner, D.J. Hopp, D. Jacobson, and D.M. Klingeman, et al. 2024. "An integrated metagenomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic survey of Populus across genotypes and environments." Scientific Data 11, no. _:Art. No. 339. PNNL-SA-195125. doi:10.1038/s41597-024-03069-7

2023

  • Couvillion S.P., R.E. Danczak, D.T. Naylor, M.L. Smith, K.G. Stratton, V.L. Paurus, and K.J. Bloodsworth, et al. 2023. "Rapid remodeling of the soil lipidome in response to a drying-rewetting event." Microbiome 11, no. 2023:34. PNNL-SA-172149. doi:10.1186/s40168-022-01427-4
  • Smith M.L., K.K. Weitz, A.M. Thompson, J.K. Jansson, K.S. Hofmockel, and M.S. Lipton. 2023. "Real-time and rapid respiratory response of the soil microbiome to moisture shifts." Microorganisms 11, no. 11:Art. No. 2630. PNNL-SA-190135. doi:10.3390/microorganisms11112630
  • Wu R., M.R. Davison, W.C. Nelson, M.L. Smith, M.S. Lipton, J.K. Jansson, and R.S. McClure, et al. 2023. "Hi-C metagenome sequencing reveals soil phage-host interactions." Nature Communications 14. PNNL-SA-181374. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-42967-z

2022

  • Eloe-Fadrosh E., F. Ahmed, F. Anubhav, M. Babinski, J. Baumes, M.I. Borkum, and L.M. Bramer, et al. 2022. "The National Microbiome Data Collaborative Data Portal: an integrated multi-omics microbiome data resource." Nucleic Acids Research 50, no. D1:D828-D836. PNNL-SA-165796. doi:10.1093/nar/gkab990

2021

  • Peterson M.J., P. Handakumbura, A.M. Thompson, Z.R. Russell, Y. Kim, S.J. Fansler, and M.L. Smith, et al. 2021. "Deciphering the microbial and molecular responses of geographically diverse Setaria accessions grown in a nutrient-poor soil." PLoS One 16, no. 12:Art. No. e0259937. PNNL-SA-169097. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259937

2019 

Weitz, K. K., Smith, M. L., Hixson, K. K., Hill, E. A., Jansson, J. K., Hofmockel, K. S., & Lipton, M. S. (2020). Real-Time Mass Spectrometry Measurements of Respiration Rates in Biological Systems. 

Dohnalkova A., S.L. Bell, M.L. Smith, L. Kovarik, M.E. Bowden, and K.S. Hofmockel. 2019. "Mineral-Organic Interface on Clay Minerals: Imaging and Analytical Approaches." Microscopy and Microanalysis 25, no. S2:2438-2439. PNNL-SA-148288. doi:10.1017/S1431927619012923 

Keiser A.D., M.L. Smith, S.L. Bell, and K.S. Hofmockel. 2019. "Peatland microbial community response to altered climate tempered by nutrient availability." Soil Biology and Biochemistry 137. PNNL-SA-147067. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107561