Biography

Karolien is a biogeochemist with a PhD in Bioscience Engineering. Her research focuses on the biotic and abiotic controls on soil carbon cycling, and the impacts of agriculture, land use and global change on plant-soil-microbe interactions and consequences for plant productivity and carbon sequestration. Karolien has extensive expertise in mass spectrometry, isotope labeling and laboratory management, and is particularly interested in combining NMR and MS for soil organic matter chemical characterization and rhizosphere metabolomics studies. At the CIF, she manages the mass spectrometry lab and several optical spectroscopy instruments. She also serves as Associate Director of the CIF, where she assists in the management and promotion of the CIF facilities and expansion of its research enabling, service and training components, including the coordination of the CIF Summer Schools on Instrumental Methods for Materials and Life Science Analysis.