Brooke Osborne

Brooke Osborne serves as an Assistant Professor in the Environment and Society Department at Utah State University's S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, stationed at the USU Moab campus. Her academic role bridges environmental science and societal dimensions of natural resource management, focusing on ecosystem responses to anthropogenic and climatic pressures.

Dr. Osborne's research centers on dryland and grassland ecosystem dynamics, with particular emphasis on soil biogeochemistry, biodiversity responses to global change, and climate-ecosystem feedbacks. Her work integrates field experiments across global networks to examine nutrient cycling, carbon dynamics, and resilience thresholds under drought, fire, and nutrient enrichment. Key themes include the vulnerability of soil organic carbon, plant-soil-microbe interactions, and the role of large herbivores in mitigating biodiversity loss.

Analysis of her recent publication record reveals a cohesive focus on dryland systems and multiple-stressor interactions. Her research demonstrates how aridity gradients modulate ecosystem responses, identifies biogeochemical hotspots through remote sensing, and quantifies underestimated drought impacts on productivity. This work provides critical insights for predicting ecosystem tipping points and developing adaptive management strategies under accelerating global change.