Education

2021 | Ph.D. | Natural Resources and Earth System Science

Concentration: Earth and Environmental Science

University of New Hampshire, Durham.

Dissertation: The fate of organic nitrogen cycling in agroecosystems: drivers and outcomes.

Advisor: Dr. A. Stuart Grandy            

2015 | M.S. | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Concentration: Ecosystem Genetics,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Thesis: Urbanization as a strong evolutionary force.

Advisor: Dr. Joseph K. Bailey

2011 | B.S. | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Thesis: Within and between population variation in plant traits predict ecosystem functions associated with a dominant plant species.

Advisors: Drs. Aimee Classen and Nathan Sanders  

Professional Appointments

  • 2022-present

    Soil Microbiology Lab, PI: Dr. Kristin Trippe

    Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Corvallis, OR

    Project lead on investigating the impact of subsurface drainage on soil carbon, micrbial processes, and microbial community structure in the Willamette Valley.

  • 2016-2021

    Soil Biogeochemistry Lab, Natural Resources and Earth System Science

    University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

    NSF-GRFP fellow, graduate research assistant, and teaching assistant. Independently led research, developed novel isotopic assay for quantifying gross rates of protein depolymerization, mentored undergraduate students, and actively involved with university organizations and service.

  • 2013-2015

    Ecosystem Genetics Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

    University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

    NSF-GRFP fellow and teaching assistant. Independently led research, employed an evolutionary model (SURFACE) to complete a phylogenetic meta-analysis, and involved with university organizations and service.

  • 2012-2013

    Ecosystem Ecology Lab, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

    University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

    Organized lab and field work, maintained instrumentation, data management.

Scientific Fellowships

2024 Funding

Recently recommended for funding a two-year postdoctoral fellowship.

Announcement and details forthcoming.

Graduate Fellowships

2013-2017 | Fellow

National Science Foundation

Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Undergraduate Fellowships

2009 | Undergraduate Research Fellow

University of Tennessee Office of Research

2008 | REU Fellow

University of Notre Dame

GLOBES Program

Research Experience: Projects with a Leading Role

Meadowfoam, microbes, and N Cycling

2024 | Recommended for Funding

Project details TBA.

Field experiment establishment expected Fall 2024.

Soil C Response to Tile Drainage

2022-Present | USDA-ARS

Subsurface drainage is a means for farmers to manage high water tables. This project aims to understand how artificial drainage impacts C and N cycling, soil health, and soil microbial communities.

Organic N Cycling in Agroecosystems

2016-2021 | Uni. of New Hampshire

This work investigated organic N cycling under sustainable agricultural practices and quantified the key microbially-mediated processes supplying crops with endogenous N sources.

Teaching Experience

2024 | Winter | Invited Lecture.

Biology of Soil Ecosystems (455/555). OSU. Tile drainage systems and soil carbon stocks: insights from the Willamette Valley. 30 students.

2023 | Winter | Invited Lecture.

Biology of Soil Ecosystems (455/555). OSU. The fate of organic nitrogen in agroecosystems. 20 students.

2021 | Spring | Teaching Assistant 

Introductory Biology: Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ecology College of Life Science and Agriculture, UNH

2020 | Fall | Teaching Assistant

Soil Ecology, 30 students, studio class with flipped classroom model. Assisted with development of field and lab exercises, guided the student-led inquiry process. College of Life Science and Agriculture, UNH

2016 | Spring | Teaching Assistant

Introductory Biology: Evolution, Biodiversity, and Ecology, 50 students across two sections. College of Life Science and Agriculture, UNH

2015 | Fall | Teaching Assistant

Organismal and Ecological Biology, 60 students across two sections. College of Arts & Sciences, UTK

2015 | Summer | Instructor on Record

General Ecology Lab, 30 students, Co-developed summer lab and field-based ecology course. College of Arts & Sciences, UTK

2014 | Spring | Teaching Assistant

Introduction to Biodiversity, 60 students across two sections. College of Arts & Sciences, UTK

2013 | Fall | Teaching Assistant

Introduction to Biodiversity, 60 students across two sections. College of Arts & Sciences, UTK

Publications

Academic Publications

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3953-4168

Breza, L.C. and A.S. Grandy. (2024) Quantifying the effects of soil amendments on nitrogen transformations in agroecosystems: A meta-analysis. To be submitted in spring 2024 to: Frontiers in Agronomy.

Breza, L.C., Moore, J.M., Tomasek, A., Trippe, K.M. (2024) Soil carbon stocks response to tile drainage in the Willamette Valley. In prep. To be submitted in spring 2024 to: Agriculture, Ecosystems, and the Environment

Breza, L.C., A.B. Daly, T.M. Bowles, J. Schnecker, and A.S. Grandy. (2024) The fate of 15N across   different soil nitrogen pools in response to soil management and residue quality. In prep. To be submitted in spring 2024 to: Biology and Fertility of Soils.

Breza, L.C., M. Mooshammer, T.M. Bowles, V.L. Jin, M. Schmer, and A.S, Grandy. (2023) Complex crop rotations improve organic nitrogen cycling. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108911

Mueller, L.O., L.C. Breza, M.A. Genung, C. Giardina, N.E. Stone, L. C. Sidak-Loftis, J.D. Busch, D.M. Wagner, J.K. Bailey, J.A. Schweitzer. (2017) Ecosystem consequences of plant genetic divergence with colonization of new habitat. Ecosphere. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1743

Breza, L.C., L. Souza, N.J. Sanders, and A.T. Classen. (2012) Within and between population variation in plant traits predict ecosystem functions associated with a dominant plant  species. Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.223

Kuebbing S., M.A. Rodriguez-Cabal, D. Fowler, L.C. Breza, J.A. Schweitzer, J.K. Bailey. (2012) Resource availability and plant diversity explain patterns of invasion of an exotic grass. Journal of Plant Ecology. DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rts018

Extension Publications

Breza, L.C., Moore, J.M., Tomasek, A., Trippe, K.M. (2024) Soil carbon stocks response to  subsurface drainage in the North Willamette Valley. Seed Production Research at Oregon State University. In Review.

Breza, L.C., Moore, J.M., Tomasek, A., Trippe, K.M. (2022). The effect of subsurface drainage in grass seed fields on soil carbon stocks. Seed Production Research at Oregon State University. 2022:15-19.