Research interests Arbuscular mycorrhizal ecology My work was amongst the first to apply molecular techniques to the study of this important, but poorly studied, group of fungi. I have demonstrated that diversity is heavily impacted by arable practice, there is host preference in the symbiosis and that mycorrhiza can impact other soil processes. Currently I am involved in projects exploring the dynamics of AM fungal communities across disturbance gradients, the interplay between AMF and fine root endophyte fungi in the arbuscular symbiosis and the role that this symbiosis could play in sustainable agricultural systems. Soil nitrogen dynamics I am interested in soil N dynamics with a particular focus on agricultural systems. This has led to an increased understanding of the role of fungi in denitrification dynamics, the role of management in denitrifier and nitrifier community size and structure, the impact of different substrates and to the role of plants and their mycorrhizal status in moderating nitrification and denitrification rates. Much of this work is now reaching fruition with data from projects investigating the role of root exudates and land use in driving N dynamics. Current projects and applications are exploring the possibility that detrimental impacts of agriculture can be mitigated through crop breeding and/or changes in fertilisation practice.