People – Emerson Lab

Dr. Joanne Emerson
on sabbatical until July 2025
Associate Professor
E-mail: jbemerson@ucdavis.edu
CV
Google Scholar

Dr. Luke Hillary
Postdoctoral Researcher
CV
Google Scholar

My research interests focus on the interactions between viruses, their hosts and the environment from a One Health perspective. I am currently working on the impact of wildfire on soil viral communities and how this affects microbial functional capacity and activity. I have previously worked on the impacts of biosolids on soil viruses, wastewater-based epidemiology and the characterisation of terrestrial RNA viral communities.

Dr. Lucie Jiraska
Postdoctoral Researcher
Google Scholar

I am interested in understanding the dynamics of microbial communities under changing environmental conditions. My current research focuses on dsDNA viruses and their bacterial hosts in Californian grasslands, looking at how soil moisture influences viral dynamics and how viral particles persist through extended droughts. In past projects, I’ve explored the effects of pesticides on soil biodiversity, studied microbial biogeography across ecosystems, and investigated fungal succession in natural forests.

Dr. Sara Geonczy
Graduated Ph.D. Student (now postdoc!)
Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group

Dr. Hannah Goemann
Postdoctoral Researcher
CV
Google Scholar

My research interests focus on plant microbiomes using multi-omics to understand rhizosphere community dynamics and plant-microbe interactions. I am currently working on the impacts of organic matter composition and quantity on soil viral diversity, abundance, and viral-bacterial interactions in organic tomato production systems. I have previously worked on the impacts of drought and heat on grassland rhizosphere assembly and activity, and the effects of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial biofertilizers on second-generation bioenergy crop productivity and their rhizosphere microbiomes.

Dr. Katherine Ennis
Postdoctoral Researcher
L’Oréal USA for Women in Science Fellow
Co-advised by Britt Koskella at UC Berkeley

Jane Fudyma
Ph.D. Student
Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group

I am investigating many aspects related to the chemistry of viruses: soil virus chemical composition, chemical drivers that influence the fate/transport of viruses, and virus-host metabolomics.

Grant Gogul
Ph.D. Student
Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group

Matthew Perry
Ph.D. Student
Plant Pathology Graduate Group

I’m interested in wetlands viral communities and how they influence microbial community turnover in these ecosystems.

Hazel Anagu
Jr. Specialist

Haley Bolanos
Jr. Specialist

Ayden Harirsaz
Undergraduate Researcher

I’m a pre medical student looking to go into the field of medical research! I’ve always loved viruses and they become more and more interesting everyday I learn about them. So I find myself here to learn more and become even more interested.