Bioenergy’s Role in Soil Carbon Storage Workshop Speaker Bios

Dr. Francesca Cotrufo, Colorado State University

Dr. M. Francesca Cotrufo is a Professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State University (CSU). Prior to joining CSU in 2008, she worked as a professor at University of Campania, Italy.

Dr. Cotrufo is a soil ecologist and biogeochemist, internationally recognized for her work in the field of litter decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics, and in the use of isotopic methodologies in these studies. She strives to advance understanding of the mechanisms and drivers of formation and persistence of soil organic matter, and their response to global environmental changes and disturbances. She uses this understanding to improve modelling of soil C-climate feedbacks to inform climate and land use policy and management. She also pursues applied research to innovate and increase throughput of soil carbon and health testing, and to propose soil management practices that regenerate healthy soils and mitigate climate change.

As a scientist fully aware of the current and future challenges to humanity, Dr. Cotrufo is interested in promoting research education, and outreach activities to help mitigating the current human impacts on the Earth System and assure a better sustainable path for humanity. To this end, with other colleagues at CSU, she recently formed the Soil Carbon Solution Center.

Dr. Cotrufo is editor of the journal Global Change Biology. To date she has published over 140 peer-reviewed articles and several book chapters. Recently, Dr. Cotrufo became an entrepreneur and co-founded, with five other women in her lab, Cquester Analytics, an analytical facility designed to accurately quantify metrics of soil organic matter and C sequestration at scale.

Dr. Cotrufo earned a B.S. from the University of Naples, Italy and Ph.D. from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.