Paula Cárdenas-Hernández

Paula Cárdenas-Hernández is a School of Engineering Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow in civil and environmental engineering. In her doctoral work, Paula investigated the degradation of anthropogenic contaminants, such as explosives, in soils and groundwater and developed predictive models for their breakdown under natural and remediation conditions. Her research will focus on how plants and microbes increase the availability of critical nutrients in soils. Specifically, she will investigate how redox-active metabolites released by plant roots affect microbial activity and the availability of iron and phosphorus in soils. Her postdoctoral fellowship will enable her to continue improving our understanding of the naturally occurring processes that control nutrient cycling and contaminant attenuation in soils and groundwater. If engineered appropriately, this knowledge could lead to the development of technologies that enhance fertilizer efficiency and help decrease the impacts of agriculture and other industries on the environment.