Alison Hoyt

Alison Hoyt serves as Assistant Professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, with a courtesy Center Fellowship at the Woods Institute for the Environment and membership in Bio-X. Her research program investigates biogeochemical cycle responses to human impacts, specializing in vulnerable carbon stocks within tropical and Arctic ecosystems.

Dr. Hoyt's primary research focuses on soil carbon dynamics across global ecosystems, particularly examining how mineral-organic interactions control carbon persistence in tropical soils of Africa and Southeast Asia, and methane emissions from Arctic wetlands. Her work integrates field measurements with modeling approaches to understand carbon cycling in degraded peatlands, drainage canal networks, and climate-sensitive regions. She maintains an active research group focused on carbon cycle science, as evidenced by her group website carboncycle.stanford.edu.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent research themes across biomes: soil carbon stabilization mechanisms (72% of works), tropical peatland hydrology and carbon emissions (40%), Arctic wetland methane dynamics (13%), and global soil carbon data synthesis (20%). Her methodological approach combines radiocarbon dating, ramped thermal analysis, satellite remote sensing, and field measurements across diverse pedoclimatic regions.

Dr. Hoyt actively mentors graduate students across multiple programs, serving as Doctoral Dissertation Reader, Co-Advisor, and Master's Program Advisor for nine students. Her teaching portfolio includes courses on ecosystem restoration, soil management for climate mitigation, climate change perspectives, and independent research supervision across Earth Systems Science and Environment & Resources programs.

She contributes significantly to community data infrastructure through leadership in the International Soil Radiocarbon Database (ISRaD) and collaborative synthesis efforts addressing soil carbon data integration challenges. Her research directly informs climate mitigation strategies through understanding soil carbon vulnerability and peatland management impacts.