Dr. Ernie Osburn
PHD FELLOW ALUMNI | Global Change Center
Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky
VT Alumni March 2021, Biological Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Jeb Barrett
eosburn@vt.edu
Ernie completed his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech in March 2021, working with Dr. Jeb Barrett in the Department of Biological Sciences. As of fall 2023, Ernie will be teaching in an assistant professor position at the University of Kentucky.
For his PhD research, Ernie studyed the impacts of Rhododendron removals on soil microbial communities and nitrogen cycling in Appalachian forests. Ernie’s first experiences in research came while he was an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia. As an undergrad, he worked as a laboratory assistant in a soil ecology lab and carried out an independent investigation looking at how leaf litter characteristics affect the abilities of microbial communities to decompose organic matter. Also as an undergraduate, Ernie worked in an insect disease ecology lab and was involved in numerous studies on the host-parasite interaction between monarch butterflies and a protozoan that infects them.
After graduating, Ernie decided to become a high school science teacher and subsequently completed his Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree at the University of Georgia. After completing his MAT, Ernie began his teaching career at a high school in north Georgia. In his five years of teaching, Ernie taught courses in Biology, Environmental Science, Earth Systems, and Physical Science, and also served as science department chair for four years. In addition to his teaching and leadership responsibilities, Ernie spent two summers working at the University of Georgia’s Plant Genome Mapping Lab as a teacher-fellow through the Georgia Intern Fellowship for Teachers (GIFT) Program.
Following his fifth year of high school teaching, Ernie decided to take a break from high school teaching and embarked on a southbound Appalachian Trail thru-hike. While on the trail, Ernie observed numerous human impacts on the forest around him, which inspired him to pursue a graduate research project relating to Appalachian forest ecology.
The ICG IGEP provides PhD students with a unique intellectual focus and training, gaining depth in their specific scientific area of expertise, while simultaneously gaining breadth in the multifaceted realm of global change and the science-policy interface.
When students complete our program, they remain part of our broad community by becoming part of our Global Alumni Network. Our alumni are invited to participate in our graduate seminar courses, provide keynote remarks at our annual graduate research symposium, return to Virginia Tech for GCC gatherings, network with current students regarding career opportunities, and stay connected to each other.
