CheJen Jerry Hsiao

Dr. Hsiao’s research experiences lies in the realm of soil-plant-microbe interactions and nutrient cycling processes in grasslands and agricultural ecosystems. His past postdoctoral research at Texas A&M University was aimed at understanding the impacts of long-term woody plant encroachment, herbivory, fire, and their interactions on the biogeochemistry of soil C, N, P, and S in juniper-oak savannas in the southern Great Plains. Results from his studies increased our ability to forecast changes in ecosystem function following land cover and land use changes. During his Ph.D. program, Dr. Hsiao’s research focused on soil health, i.e., the interaction between management practices and pedogenesis on soil microbial structure and function in the soil profile. That research spanned the disciplines of soil biology, chemistry, and pedogenesis. His results advanced our understanding of (i) microbial properties in claypan and post-settlement alluvium soils, (ii) the responses of soil microbe to corn/winter wheat/soybean rotation in conventional tillage and no-till cropping systems, and (iii) the vertical changes of soil microbial properties in response to 28 years of tillage and fertilization management practices.