Skip to main content

Dr. Katherine O'Neill

Professor - Environmental Studies, Chair - Environmental Studies

Department:
Environmental Studies
Location:
107 Annex- West
Phone:
(540)375-5208

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University
  • B.S., Environmental Science and Geology, College of William and Mary

Research & Teaching Interests

  • Ecosystem ecology (forests, agroecology, urban systems)
  • Climate resilience and sustainable management
  • Carbon and greenhouse gas assessments
  • Soil ecology and soil health
  • GIS and spatial analysis
  • Sustainable management of working landscapes
  • Ecosystem services

Willing to speak to professional, social or civic groups on

  • Ecosystems, ecology, soil health, sustainability, urban ecosystems, forest soils, land management

Biography

  • Katherine O'Neill’s research and teaching links ecosystems, soils, and human management to addresses the interconnections between land use and the ecosystem services that support human well-being (e.g., carbon sequestration, water quality, food and timber production).
  • Prior to arriving at Roanoke, Dr. O'Neill served as a federal research scientist for the USDA Forest Service and Agricultural Research Service where her work included developing and implementing a national soil quality monitoring program, co-authoring sections of the U.S. Forest Service's National Report on Sustainable Forests (soil quality), and leading an interdisciplinary rhizosphere ecology team in the development of sustainable agricultural management practices for Appalachian farming systems.
  • Her work and teaching at Roanoke also builds upon her graduate training and research with the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S. Global Carbon Program) which integrated field and lab measurements with models and satellite imagery to evaluate the potential impacts of warmer climates and increased fire frequency on greenhouse gas emissions from permafrost soils in Alaska and Canada.
  • She is currently an investigator at the National Science Foundation’s Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory charged with developing educational materials based on emerging research into historical land use practices and the ways in which the legacy of severe soil erosion in the southern Piedmont have, and continue to, impact processes within the Earth's Critical Zone.