Colleen R Zumpf

Colleen R Zumpf is a Bioenergy and Ecosystem Service Specialist at Argonne National Laboratory since 2023. She received a PhD in Crop Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne (2020), an MSc in Environmental Biology from Governors State University (2015), and a BA in Environmental Science (2012). Her research focuses on sustainable cropping systems on underproductive agricultural landscapes to produce food, fuel, and ecosystem services such as clean water, pollination, and enhanced soil health. She has held multiple roles at Argonne National Laboratory, including Post-doctoral Appointee (2020-2023) and Research Associate and Field Manager (2015-2017).

• Education:
  • PhD in Crop Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2020)
  • MSc in Environmental Biology, Governors State University (2015)
  • BA in Environmental Science (major) and Biology (minor) (2012)

Her research interests include land management impacts on ecological systems, perennial bioenergy crops, remote sensing for agricultural monitoring, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil health improvements. She has led projects such as:

• Integrating Sensors and DNDC Model for GHG Quantification (2024-2025)
• EC-BioSALTS (2021-2026): Energycane production on marginal lands
• Scaling Bioenergy Ecosystem Services (2011-2025)
• Landowner Technical Assistance (2022-2025)
• EXCHANGE (2021-2026): Bioenergy-row crop integration in Nebraska

Her publications focus on perennial grass biomass yields, soil carbon dynamics, and ecosystem service quantification using remote sensing and modeling. She has also explored nutrient removal, digestate and biochar effects on feedstock quality, and machine learning for yield prediction.