Dr. Sarah Strauss
Associate Professor
strauss@ufl.eduDr. Strauss began as an Assistant Professor in Soil Microbiology at the University of Florida in 2016. She received a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University.
Her research and extension programs are focused on examining the interactions between soil microbial communities and plant health and productivity in both citrus and vegetable crops. The goal of her applied research is to provide growers with new information and methods for managing and improving crop production and soil health using soil microbiology.
Adesuwa Sylvia Erhunmwunse
Postdoctoral Associate
erhunmwunsea@ufl.eduDr. Adesuwa Sylvia Erhunmwunse is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Soil Microbiology Program at the University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Research and Education Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences from the University of Florida.
Her research focuses on the impacts of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices on soil health, nutrient cycling, and microbial communities. She is also interested in using ‘omics technologies to study soil and plant microbial communities and their functional roles in agricultural systems.
Laura Cano-Castro
PhD. Student
laura.canocastro@ufl.eduLaura Cano-Castro is currently pursuing a PhD in the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department at the University of Florida, and is supervised by Dr. Arnold Schumann (UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center) and Dr. Sarah Strauss (UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center). She earned a B.S. in Agronomy with a minor in Soil Sciences from Sinaloa Autonomous University in Mexico, and recently received an M.S. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences from the University of Florida.
Laura’s research interests focus on regenerative agriculture, sustainable cultivation, and biologicals in agriculture. She is dedicated to promoting a healthy rhizosphere to achieve high, marketable crop yields through the use of Plant-Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). Her dissertation project aims to protect and support beneficial microbial communities in the soil by providing suitable habitats within the rhizosphere, thereby enhancing the positive effects that PGPR have in association with plants.
Dr. Elizabete Lourenco da Costa
Associate Researcher
elourencodacosta@ufl.eduElizabete Lourenco da Costa is an Associate Researcher in the Soil Microbiology Lab, where she collaborates on projects that evaluate the impact of fumigation on the soil microbiome. She holds a Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition from the State University of Campinas - UNICAMP (Brazil), an M.S. in Food Science and Technology, and a B.A. in Nutrition Science from the Federal University of Paraíba (Brazil).
Her academic background includes a Postdoctoral Fellowship (PDI/CNPq) from UNICAMP in collaboration with Gelita Brazil, and a Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Salamanca (Spain). Her teaching experience includes areas such as Microbiology, Food Analysis, and Food Technology, in two private Universities in São Paulo State (Brazil), where she also supervised numerous research and extension projects, earning three awards for her work. Her current research focuses on understanding the functions of soil microorganisms that enhance nutrient absorption or phytohormone production by plants.
Brittney Monus
Laboratory Manager
bmonus@ufl.eduBrittney Monus manages the Soil Microbiology Lab, where she works on multiple research projects, maintains lab supplies, trains lab members, collects soil samples in the field and greenhouse, and conducts molecular biological analyses such as DNA extraction, PCR, and qPCR.
She received her B.S. and M.S. at Arizona State University where she studied soil undergoing precipitation manipulation experiments across an elevation gradient in northern Arizona.
Dr. Emma Dawson
Postdoctoral Associate
emma.dawson@ufl.eduDr. Emma Dawson is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Soil Microbiology Program at the University of Florida/IFAS Southwest Research and Education Center. She obtained her Ph.D. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences from the University of Florida. Before pursuing her Ph.D., she received her B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Georgia, where she studied the potential of cover crops for weed suppression in vegetable systems.
She is broadly interested in regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices, specifically the incorporation of cover crops in agroecosystems and their impact on soil health and crop production. Her current research focuses on evaluating the effects of different cover crops on soil microbial communities, nutrient cycling, and their potential impact on tree health in Florida citrus orchards.
Jasmine de Freitas
PhD Student
jasminedefreitas@ufl.eduJasmine de Freitas is currently pursuing a PhD in the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Department at the University of Florida, and is supervised by Dr. Sarah Strauss (UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center). She earned a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the São Paulo State University and received an M.S. in Citrus Phytosanity in the Professional Masters in Citrus Phytosanity at Fundecitrus, where she studied the compatibility and effectiveness of strobilurin fungicides in mixtures with agrochemicals for inhibiting the citrus pathogenic fungus Phyllosticta citricarpa, the causal agent of Citrus Black Spot.
She is broadly interested in the interconnected processes that drive plant production, including soil properties and microbiology, plant physiology, and plant pathology, as she considers a multidisciplinary perspective crucial for fostering sustainability and resilience in agriculture. Her dissertation project aims to evaluate the integration of cover crops and compost with conventional fumigation practices to enhance soil health and microbial functioning, while investigating how these managements shape soil microbial communities and influence agricultural productivity in Florida vegetable production systems.
Samantha Cosio
Research Assistant
samanthacosio@ufl.eduSamantha Cosio is an international student originally from the Philippines and raised in Dubai. In 2019, she moved to Florida, where she graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Ave Maria University. Samantha's interest in agriculture began during her 2022 internship with Dr. Strauss; she is now working as a research assistant in 2024.
She is currently focused on soil microbiology projects, assisting with various research activities related to soil health. Her experience includes lab protocols such as measuring POXC and SOM, extracting and quantifying DNA from soils, and culturing bacteria and fungi for plate counts and isolates.
