Ecology and Biosphere Engineering

Ecosystems, both cultivated and natural, are impacted by human activity directly (through land use change and agricultural practices) and indirectly (through climate change and pollution).

Research aligned with this initiative focuses on understanding how ecosystems are adapting to these impacts, and developing and deploying technology that can make ecosystems more resilient. We aim to inform, by developing methods to accurately measure the state of the Earth's biosphere; to analyze and understand at the causal level how alterations to one part of the biosphere affect the others, and what the costs and benefits of these interactions might be; and to provide options by inventing technologies to mitigate and remedy the effects of human activities and to restore affected ecosystems.

• How can we leverage new imaging technologies, sensing modalities, and data interpretation approaches to improve our ability to remotely monitor biosphere composition and outputs from the micro to global scale in real time?
• Can we collect measurements and develop models to guide human activities, so that we can monitor and limit unwanted damage to the biosphere and direct restoration efforts productively?
• How can we harness the programmable physical, chemical and biological capabilities of living organisms for sustainable energy, agriculture and materials?
• Can we identify and manipulate (micro)biological processes in the soil better to achieve important ecosystem services (e.g. protection against pathogens, plant access to nutrients, increased carbon uptake)?