Marcel van der Heijden

Prof. Dr. Marcel van der Heijden is Professor of Plant-Microbe Interactions at Utrecht University (Faculty of Science, Department of Environmental Biology) and heads the “Plant-Soil Interactions” research group at Agroscope, the Institute for Sustainability Sciences in Zurich, Switzerland, where he is employed full-time. He is also Guest Professor at the University of Zurich.

Research Focus

• Plant–microbe interactions, with emphasis on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
• Soil ecology and biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning
• Agro-ecosystem sustainability and climate-change resilience
• Microbiome engineering for sustainable agriculture

Across >100 publications since 2010, his work integrates molecular, ecological and agronomic approaches to understand how soil microbial communities influence plant nutrition, productivity and ecosystem services. Recent studies reveal how microbial diversity and asynchrony stabilise ecosystem processes, how root exudates recruit beneficial microbes, and how farming practices shape soil microbiomes with consequences for greenhouse-gas emissions and nutrient cycling.

Scientific Awards & Recognition
While specific named awards are not listed in the provided text, Prof. van der Heijden’s extensive publication record in high-impact journals (Nature Communications, Science, PNAS, New Phytologist, Trends in Ecology & Evolution) and frequent invitations to speak at international symposia underscore his leading role in the field.

Supervision & Funding

• Supervises numerous PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers across Utrecht University, Agroscope and the University of Zurich.
• Leads multiple national and international projects on sustainable soil management, microbial inoculation and ecosystem services.

Laboratories & Teams
He directs the Plant-Soil Interactions group at Agroscope (Zurich) and is affiliated with the Centre for Soil Ecology at Utrecht University, providing state-of-the-art facilities for microbiome genomics, plant phenotyping and greenhouse/field experimentation.