Hannah Locke

I am a plant community ecologist, originally from Pennsylvania. During my Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Houston, I studied how mycorrhizal fungi can extend, ameliorate, or reverse plant responses to environmental stressors (i.e., herbivores, water availability, environmental change). Afterwards, I became an NSF EPSCoR Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Delaware working on standardizing novel microfluidic devices for enumerating environmental viruses such as bacteriophages. In my free time I enjoy hiking, baking, hanging out with family, and gardening.

My research interests include plant-microbe symbiosis, host-phage interactions, phenotype plasticity, species interactions, plant-herbivore interactions, native plant ecology, and plant & microbial responses to climate change. At my heart, I’m an experimental ecologist. To answer questions such as “how might beneficial soil microbes ameliorate plant stress and plant competitiveness under climate change?” I combine traditional microbiology bench experiments with greenhouse experiments and field collected data and samples. This varied approach means that I am well-versed in field ecology, experimental design, aseptic non-mammalian cell culture, root staining and microscopy, and statistical analysis. I’m also actively deepening my bioinformatics toolbox to stay on the cutting edge of plant and microbial ecology.

Areas of Expertise

Ecology

Evolutionary Biology

Plant Communities

Soil Microbes

Climate Change

Science Education

Education

Ph.D. in Biology