Lab Group of T. A. Ghezzehei
We study SOIL: the Structure, Organization, and Interactions of Living-soils
Recent Publications

Defining Soil Science: Balancing Fundamental Research and Societal Needs
Ghezzehei, T.A. and A.A. Berhe
Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.

Impact of Almond Shell Biochar Properties and Application Rate on Soil Physical and ...
Thao,T, VD Lopez, et al.
Sustainable Environment

Soil Science-Informed Machine Learning
Minasny, B. et al.
Geoderma

Biochar Impacts on Soil Moisture Retention and Respiration in a Coarse-Textured Soil ...
Thao, T. et al.
Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.
Updates & News

Let’s BRAAG about Jalynn
NASA ACRES blog--Let’s BRAAG about Jalynn Greer, a Kentucky State University Scholar who is Bridging a Career Path in Nursing and Agriculture success!
Read More
Kennedy's BRAAG experience
NASA ACRES blog--Learning by Doing, Basia Skudrzyk interviewed a Howard Scholar, Kennedy Williams' about he journey with the BRAAG program
Read More
Touyee Thao earned PhD
Celebrating Dr. Touyee Thao's remarkable PhD completion and his upcoming role as a USDA Research Scientist. Proud of his achievements and wishing him continued success!
Read More
Hooding of Toshi & Manisha
Dr. Toshiyuki Bandai and Dr. Manisha Dolui successfully graduate with PhDs and move on to postdoctoral positions. Congratulations to both on their remarkable achievements!
Read MoreResearch Areas

Sustainable Agriculture
Reduced tillage systems, cover cropping strategies, and organic amendments to enhance soil structure, water retention, and agricultural sustainability.

Soil Structure & Carbon Dynamics
Fundamental research on soil aggregation processes, structure formation, and carbon cycling mechanisms that control soil physical and chemical properties.

Physics-Constrained AI
Development of novel machine learning models that incorporate physical principles and constraints to predict soil behavior and environmental processes.

Data-Driven Soil Science
Analysis of large-scale datasets to uncover patterns and test hypotheses about fundamental soil processes, leveraging big data approaches for scientific discovery.
Courses
ES 200 Environmental Systems
A comprehensive overview of environmental systems, exploring the complex interactions between physical, biological, and social components. This course examines fundamental principles of systems thinking applied to environmental challenges, with emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability science. Graduate.
Recent Offering: Fall 2025
ESS 110 Hydrology & Climate
Basics of the hydrological cycle and the global climate system. Fundamentals of surface water hydrology, hydrometeorology, evaporation, precipitation, statistical and probabilistic methods, unit hydrograph and flood routing. Undergraduate.
Recent Offering: Fall 2024, 2025
ES 212 Subsurface Hydrology (Archive)
Hydrologic and geologic factors controlling the occurrence and use of groundwater on regional and local scales. Physical, mathematical, geologic and engineering concepts fundamental to subsurface hydrologic processes. Introduction to ground-water flow and transport modeling. Graduate.
Recent Offering: Spring 2025