Dr. Elias H. Bloom
Eli is a National USDA Research Fellow at Cornell and the primary investigator (PI) for the Organic Microbiome Project. Eli grew up in Nebraska where his family owned and operated a small-scale organic farm. Eli’s research takes place on farms and is farmer focused. Eli enjoys urban gardening, running/hiking/skiing/bicycling, yoga, music and the arts, mushrooming, vegetarian and vegan cooking, travel, and spending time with family.
Dr. Clare Casteel
Clare is an Associate Professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. Clare is the primary supervisor for the project and discovered the benefits of organic farming for pest-suppressive soil microbes. Clare’s lab also studies changes in plant signaling and defenses, cell biology, and protein functions in response to insect vectors and the viral pathogens they transmit. Outside of science, Clare enjoys music, making art, skiing, bowling, thrifting, furniture repair and eating at the many great restaurants in Ithaca!
Dr. Shadi Atallah
Shadi is an Associate Professor in the College of Agriculture, Consumer & Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. Shadi is a collaborating mentor for the project. Shadi’s research program generates recommendations to growers, landowners, and resource managers to manage their crops and natural resources in a way that balances economic and ecological objectives and constraints. Applications include the economics of sustainably managing damaging organisms such as pests and beneficial organisms such as pollinators, within and across farms and forestlands.