Dr. Brian Badgley

FACULTY AFFILIATE   |   Global Change Center

School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Lab Website  •  Google Scholar  •  Dept Page

badgley@vt.edu   •  540-231-9629

Research in Badgley's Lab focuses on environmental microbiology and microbial ecology, with two particular interests. First, they are interested in elucidating the ecological roles of microbial populations and communities in natural systems.  Microbes mediate many important processes at the ecosystem and global scales, yet approximately 99% of all microbes are not culturable, meaning we know little or nothing about their distribution or role in the environment. Second, they are interested in the fate of particular microorganisms in the environment, such as pathogens, water quality indicators, or biodegraders. Even though these organisms may be relatively low in abundance, they are still highly significant, particularly from an applied perspective, and it is important to understand their survival and transport through ecosystems.

By combining new methods in genomics and metagenomics with traditional culture based techniques they can seek to gain new insights into these important questions in a variety of habitats. They also strive to conduct highly collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, working with a variety of colleagues from ecosystem ecology, agriculture, chemistry, engineering, and public health.