Dr. Schmidt is a biology professor with the University of Colorado, Boulder specializing in the study of microbial ecology, biogeochemical cycles, and plant-microbe interactions. He uses theoretical (modeling) and experimental approaches to study the ecology of microorganisms in natural and disturbed systems. Steve’s current research areas include the microbial biochemistry of ecosystems in Colorado, Peru, and Costa Rica, the role of mycorrhizal fungi in the ecology of wild plants, and biography and biodiversity of previously unknown microbial groups.

Dr. Schmidt has conducted research on microbial populations in high-altitude, extreme environments of volcanoes in the Atacama of northern Argentina, and the mountains of Nepal and the South American Andes. He has been studying microbial populations and mycorrhizal fungi within the Sibinaocha Watershed since 2000. For more information on Steve’s work see the Schmidt Lab website: http://amo.colorado.edu/schmidtlab/index.html.