Benjamin Duval

Benjamin Duval is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, where he has been employed since August 2016. His research focuses on ecosystem ecology, particularly atmosphere-soil-plant interactions, biogeochemical cycles, and the impacts of invasive species and climate variation on aridland systems. He leads the Duval Ecology Lab, which engages in interdisciplinary work with geologists, chemists, and hydrologists.

Dr. Duval earned a PhD in Biology from Northern Arizona University (2010), an MS in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from New Mexico State University (2005), and a BA in Biology from The College of Wooster (2001). His research spans desert grasslands, riparian zones, and agroecosystems, with a focus on soil microbial communities, greenhouse gas fluxes, and nitrogen cycling.

His recent publications analyze:

• Greenhouse gas emissions from invasive riparian plant decomposition
• Bacteriophage effects on soil nitrogen transformations
• Metal cycling post-Gold King Mine spill
• Tillage impacts on microbial activity pulses
• Water and nitrogen management in semi-arid sorghum production

He collaborates with institutions including the Sevilleta LTER, University of New Mexico, NMSU Agricultural Science Centers, and the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. The lab actively recruits students interested in ecosystem science and aridland research, emphasizing fieldwork, lab experiments, and modeling.