My research explores the role of microbial communities in a diverse range of ecosystems, how they interact with one another, other (macro)organisms and their environment. My research focuses on mechanistically linking micro and macro processes using ecological theory. A key area of research aims to develop an understanding of ecosystem relationships using functional traits, as opposed to species names. Current research focus areas include: understanding the role of soil-microbial communities maintaining tropical rainforest diversity and the ecology underpinning bacterial communities that accelerate marine corrosion.