Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Science, University of New Hampshire, 2021
  • M.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2015
  • B.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2011
Professional Honors
  • USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Postdoctoral Fellow (2024-2025)
  • National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellow (2013-2018)
Professional Affiliations
  • 2024 – Soil Ecology Society
  • 2019 – Soil Science Society of America
  • 2017 – Ecological Society of America

Dr. Lauren Breza is a soil scientist with expertise in biogeochemistry, carbon cycling, nutrient retention, and soil ecology. Her work focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic land-use change, particularly agricultural management practices that influence soil biogeochemistry. She integrates field experimentation with quantitative and statistical analyses to evaluate how management practices affect soil health and environmental outcomes such as ecosystem resilience. Dr. Breza has published on organic and inorganic nitrogen cycling, carbon stock distribution, ecosystem genetics, invasive species, and the broader effects of management on soil and ecosystem function. Her interdisciplinary background bridges soil science, ecology, and environmental science, enabling her to translate complex biogeochemical processes into practical strategies for land management and sustainability.

Dr. Breza earned her Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of New Hampshire, where she investigated the fate and transport of nitrogen in response to soil amendments using stable isotope techniques. Before joining Exponent, she conducted postdoctoral research with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), collaborating with farmers, product distributors, researchers, and Extension specialists to address agricultural challenges. Dr. Breza's past research spans multiple spatial scales, from examining the impacts of subsurface drainage on regional carbon stocks to elucidating biochemical pathways that influence nutrient persistence in soil. Her subsurface drainage research has led to invited talks where she contributed to discussions on conservation drainage practices and water management strategies. Dr. Breza's work provides a mechanistic foundation for understanding how management practices alter biogeochemical processes and their cascading consequences for long-term soil function, ecosystem stability, and agricultural sustainability.

Dr. Breza is proficient in experimental design, advanced statistical modeling (including mixed effects modeling, multivariate analyses, generalized additive models, meta-analyses), and laboratory methods for analyzing physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil. She is skilled in GC-MS analyses, isotope assays, greenhouse gas measurements, microbial enzyme and biomass assays, DNA extraction and quantification, and a broad range of soil physical and chemical analyses.