THE WORLD'S POPULATION IS ESTIMATED TO REACH 9.5 BILLION PEOPLE BY THE YEAR 2050, WITH RAPIDLY INCREASING DEMANDS FOR FOOD AND ENERGY THAT WILL LEAD TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOIL DEPLETION. PRESERVING GLOBAL POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STABILITY IN THE FACE OF THESE FOOD DEMANDS REQUIRES A SHIFT TO AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS THAT ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE, SUSTAINABLE AND, IN PARTICULAR, RESILIENT TO A CHANGING CLIMATE. BUILDING SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC) CAN POWER THAT SUSTAINABLE SHIFT BY TRAPPING CARBON FROM THE ATMOSPHERE WHERE IT CAN HELP BUILD THE SOIL.BECAUSE THE DRIVERS OF SOC FORMATION ARE SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES, EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR C SEQUESTRATION REQUIRE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF MICROBIAL-CARBON INTERACTIONS IN BOTH SURFACE AND DEEPER SOILS. OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO SEQUESTER SOIL ORGANIC CARBON COMES FROM STUDIES OF JUST THE TOP 30 CM OF SOIL. HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT MORE THAN 60% OF THE WORLD'S CARBON IS STORED DEEPER THAN THAT AND WE KNOW THAT CONDITIONS IN THE SUBSURFACE ARE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM CONDITIONS IN THE SURFACE SOIL. UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS SUBSURFACE CARBON IS FORMED AND STORED IS ESSENTIAL FOR ACCURATE GLOBAL ACCOUNTING OF SOIL C, AND FOR DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES AND POLICIES FOR MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE.MY PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP BY MEASURING COMPOSITIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES IN SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES UP TO 1 M DEEP UNDER LONG TERM CARBON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. I WILL THEN LINK THESE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY CHANGES TO SHIFTS IN CARBON QUANTITY, QUALITY AND DISTRIBUTION. BY CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON A COMMERCIAL-SCALE RESEARCH FARM, I WILL IDENTIFY WHICH PRACTICES (E.G. COMPOST, COVER CROPS, FERTILIZER USE) ARE BEST FOR BUILDING CARBON IN BOTH SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE LAYERS. I WILL SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH FELLOW SCIENTISTS VIA PUBLICATIONS, AND WITH FARMERS AND THE PUBLIC VIA WORKSHOPS, FIELD DAYS, AND CREATING A NEW LABORATORY CLASS IN SOIL MICROBIOLOGY. MY RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR INCREASING SOIL CARBON IN FARM FIELDS AND THIS WILL HELP BOTH FARMERS AND POLICY-MAKERS ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS IN DEVELOPING MORE SUSTAINABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, AND ESPECIALLY PRODUCTIVE AGROECOSYSTEMS.