Nate Looker

I'm a soil scientist working to translate our understanding of complex landscapes into actionable strategies for enhancing and quantifying carbon dioxide removal and other ecosystem services. Prior to joining the Life & Landscapes Lab, I was a Research Soil Scientist with the nonprofit Soil Health Institute, where I was the lead scientist for a program setting benchmarks for soil health and organic carbon across the U.S. Cotton Belt. I also developed open-source tools to make soil health measurements more accessible. For my Ph.D. in Land & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Minnesota, I studied the interactive effects of mineral weathering, climate, and land use on soil carbon dynamics in working landscapes of Mexico. I was a Department of Energy SCGSR Fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. I am originally from Iowa and have a background in agronomy, international development, and ecohydrology, with a bachelor's from Iowa State University and a master’s from Montana State University.

February 2025