July 23, 2025 by Teamrat A Ghezzehei

Jennifer defended dissertation

We are delighted to announce that Jennifer Alvarez-Sagrero successfully defended her PhD dissertation on July 23, 2025, earning her doctorate in Environmental Systems. This remarkable achievement represents the culmination of years of dedicated research and scholarly excellence.

Dr. Alvarez-Sagrero’s dissertation, titled “Soil Health Under Long Term Conservation Management: Structured soil increases physical-protected SOM,” makes significant contributions to our understanding of soil health and carbon sequestration under conservation agriculture practices. Her research investigates how soil structure development under long-term conservation management enhances the physical protection of soil organic matter (SOM), a critical mechanism for carbon storage and soil health improvement.

Through her innovative work, Dr. Alvarez-Sagrero has advanced our knowledge of the complex interactions between soil management practices, soil structure, and organic matter protection. Her findings have important implications for sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation strategies, demonstrating how conservation practices can effectively increase carbon sequestration through physical protection mechanisms.

Dr. Alvarez-Sagrero’s research combines field observations, laboratory analyses, and advanced characterization techniques to elucidate the mechanisms by which structured soils provide enhanced protection for soil organic matter. This work contributes valuable insights to the growing body of research on nature-based solutions for climate change and sustainable soil management.

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Alvarez-Sagrero on her outstanding achievement! We are proud of her accomplishments and look forward to her continued contributions to soil science and environmental systems.