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Scientific Staff

Meghan Midgley, PhD

Soil Ecologist

Content Detail

Meghan studies how interactions among plants, microbes, and soil mediate ecosystem-specific responses to environmental changes.

As the head of the Arboretum’s soil ecology lab, Meghan’s research encompasses two overarching themes: relationships between plant traits and ecosystem functions; and the above and below ground consequences of human activities. She investigates these topics using field experiments, field observations, and laboratory and greenhouse studies, with a particular focus on temperate ecosystems. 

Meghan has published in leading journals in her field and secured funding through highly competitive fellowships and grants, including a prestigious fellowship from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a National Science Foundation (NSF) “Rules of Life” grant.

She has also presented her work at national and international conferences and workshops, ranging from local Indiana Academy of Science meetings to a Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) course on boreal ecology in Umeå.

In addition, she has mentored undergraduate students in designing and conducting independent research projects.

Education

PhD, Evolution, Ecology, and Biology

Indiana University
Bloomington, IN

MS, Environmental Science

School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN

BS, Environmental Systems

University of California
San Diego, CA

  • Graduate Committee Member, University of Illinois, Chicago and Illinois State University
  • Instructor, Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area
  • Associate Editor, Biological Invasions

Projects (10)