Dr. Nicolas Valiente Parra

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Global change is leading modifications in climate patterns on regional, continental, and hemispheric scales. My research interests lie in understanding how such impacts trigger microorganisms to shape the environment by affecting elemental cycles. Among these impacts, I am particularly interested in nutrient enrichment of soils and waters caused by factors like permafrost thaw, wildlife impacts, brownification or human activities. To understand which processes they are able to do so, my research combines biodiversity-based approaches (DNA metabarcoding) with the measurement of biogeochemical pathways, including greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently, I am a Marie Skłodowska-Curie IF Postdoctoral researcher studying nitrogen cycling in permafrost-affected soils and thermokarst landscapes within NITROKARST project. However, my interest extends to major biogeochemical processes at the water-sediment interface, and especially in extreme environments like polar regions or hypersaline environments.
CURRENT PROJECTS
NITROKARST - Effects of permafrost thaw on the global nitrogen cycle: the role of thermokarst systems