Doctor Emi Stuart
Dr Emi Stuart joined the HIE in 2018. Her research is largely focused on the ecosystem roles of soil-dwelling and/or plant-associated fungi and other microorganisms, particularly in the context of anthropogenic change. Her work integrates a range of experimental approaches, from highly controlled in vitro studies to less controlled field experiments, to gain mechanistic understanding of these ecosystem functions. Emi is also passionate about climate change mitigation, sustainable agriculture and forestry, and science communication.
Emi obtained a Bachelor of Science, specialising in biotechnology, from the University of NSW, and carried out an honours research project on nitrogen-fixing bacteria under the supervision of Professor Torsten Thomas. After spending some time in the soil testing industry, Emi joined the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment to undertake a PhD project investigating nutrient transfer in the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis, supervised by Dr Krista Plett, Associate Professor Jonathan Plett, and Professor Ian Anderson. Emi’s current work as a postdoctoral research fellow, under the supervision of Dr Yolima Carrillo and Professor Jeff Powell, looks at the impacts of various soil-dwelling fungi on soil carbon storage and their underlying mechanisms.
Areas of research
Soil microbiology, mycorrhizal symbiosis, soil carbon sequestration, soil nutrient cycling, plant-fungal-microbe interactions
Awards and recognition/grants
People’s Choice Award and runner up at Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment 3MT competition in 2019
Travel bursary award for Negative Emissions Conference poster in 2018
Postgraduate Internship Award from Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, University of Adelaide, in 2018
Selected publications
Stuart, E. K., Singan, V., Amirebrahimi, M., Na, H., Ng, V., Grigoriev, I., Martin, F., Anderson, I. C., Plett, J. M. & Plett, K. L. (2023). Acquisition of host-derived carbon in biomass of ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus microcarpus is correlated to fungal carbon demand and plant defences. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 99, doi:10.1093/femsec/fiad037.
Stuart, E. K., Castañeda-Gómez, L., Macdonald, C. A., Wong-Bajracharya, J. Anderson, I. C., Carrillo, Y., Plett, J. M. & Plett, K. L. (2022). Species-level identity of Pisolithus influences soil phosphorus availability for host plants and is moderated by nitrogen status, but not CO2. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 165, doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108520.
Stuart, E. K. & Plett, K. L. (2020). Digging deeper: in search of the mechanisms of carbon and nitrogen exchange in ectomycorrhizal symbioses. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.01658
