Professor Jeff Powell obtained his PhD from the University of Guelph, Canada in 2008, where he studied the biological impacts of genetically-modified crops on soils, including mycorrhizas, rhizobia, and soil fauna.
His postdoctoral research at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, examined the role of fungal traits in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and factors controlling the predictability of microbial community assembly, both of which have relevance for the management of microbial communities and their ecosystem services.
He joined the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment in 2011.