Susan Trumbore

Susan Trumbore is a Full Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany. Her research focuses on applying radiocarbon to study carbon cycling in plants and soils, with emphasis on tropical ecosystems and climate change impacts. She earned a B.S. in Geology from the University of Delaware (1981) and a Ph.D. in Geochemistry from Columbia University (1989).

• Key Roles: Director at MPI-BGC (since 2009), Full Professor at UCI (2000–present)
• Research Initiatives: Collaborative Research Center AquaDiva, German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Brazilian/German ATTO project, ERC-funded 14Constraint project

Trumbore’s research spans biogeochemical processes, climate feedbacks, and soil carbon dynamics. Her work includes studying Amazon rainforest resilience, peatland carbon stocks, and windthrow impacts. She has received prestigious awards such as the US National Academy of Sciences membership (2010), Balzan Prize (2020), and Benjamin Franklin Medal (2018).

• Awards: Marsh Award (2019), Fellowships from AGU and AAAS
• Collaborations: Woods Hole Research Center, IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), European Research Council

Her recent studies highlight the vulnerability of Amazon forests to drought and fire, and the role of windthrow events in altering carbon stocks. Ongoing projects include the Tanguro Flux Project and investigations into groundwater microbiome resilience.