Christopher W. Schadt an environmental microbiologist in the Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with expertise in the influence of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and archaea) on biogeochemical cycles in soils and sediments, as well as their interactions with plant community members and crops. Additionally he has interest and expertise in development of molecular methodologies to track the distributions and activities of microorganisms in these environments. He received his Ph.D in 2002 under the direction of Prof. Steven Schmidt at the University of Colorado, Boulder; proceeding to a postdoctoral appointment and subsequent staff appointments at ORNL. Dr. Schadt also is a Joint Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee in the Department of Microbiology and part of the Climate Change Science Institute at ORNL. He is author of over 100 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters.