Women in Soil Science-Australia Seminar Series: Dr Fien Degryse

This month's Women in Soil Science-Australia Seminar Series speaker is Dr Fien Degryse who will be speaking on "From Soil to Root: Exploring the bioavailability and transport of metals and nutrients

About the speaker

Dr Fien Degryse is a Senior Research Fellow in the Fertiliser Technology Research Centre (FTRC) at the University of Adelaide and specialises in plant nutrition and soil chemistry. She obtained her PhD from the University of Leuven in Belgium, and has also worked at the University of Nottingham (UK) and the University of California, Riverside (USA). Her research interests focus on understanding of fundamental processes controlling fertiliser efficiency, using a combination of chemical, spectroscopic and radio-isotopic techniques, as well as pot and field trials. She also studies speciation, mobility and bioavailability of metals in terrestrial and aquatic systems.

Abstract

This seminar will discuss physicochemical process affecting the availability of compounds in soil or solution. While the first part of my career was focused on metal contaminants and the second part on fertilizers, the research on these topics shared a lot of common concepts and methodologies. I will present various case studies discussing speciation and transport of inorganic compounds from soil or solution to biotic surfaces such as plant roots. These studies used chemical, spectroscopic and/or isotopic techniques as well as modelling approaches to enhance our understanding of the processes controlling nutrient and contaminant uptake.