Leah Van Dyke is a PhD Student in Adina Paytan’s Biogeochemistry Lab. Her research aims to link microbial communities with carbon sequestration efficiency in coastal estuarine wetland soils. She uses quantitative Stable-Isotope Probing (qSIP) to link specific microbial taxa with changes in carbon sequestration efficiency, as well as microscopy, and molecular genomics techniques to quantify carbon cycling genes across wetland sites. Leah’s research aims to identify which microbial factors can improve wetland carbon dioxide removal and inform future wetland restoration projects.