Ph.D. Candidate
Ph.D. Candidate
Ph.D. Ecosystem Science, 2016, University of California, Berkeley
B.A. Environmental Earth Science (high honors), 2009, University of California, Berkeley
Soil isotope geochemistry, biogeochemistry, astrobiology, soil science, ecosystem science, surface processes
Broadly, I am interested in the interface between the physical environment and life. My research is motivated by the biogeochemical processes occurring within soil environments. Using a combination of radio and stable isotope analyses of soil and biological material, metagenomic analyses, and environmental monitoring, I conduct interdisciplinary investigations in the fields of soil science, biogeochemistry, astrobiology, and ecosystem sciences.
Publications
Finstad, K., Pfeiffer, M., McNicol, G., Barnes, J., and Amundson, R. 2016. Rates and processes of soil formation in salars. Geoderma. In review.
Mambelli, S., Brooks, P., Sutka, R., Hughes, S., Finstad, K., Pakes, J.M., Dawson, T. 2016. High throughput method for simultaneous analysis of N, C, and S stable isotopes and concentrations in organics and soils. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. Accepted.
Hug, L., Baker, B., Anantharaman, K., Brown, C., Probst, A., Castelle, C., Butterfield, C., Hernsdorf, A., Amano, Y., Kotaro, I., Suzuki, Y., Dudek, N., Relman, D., Finstad, K., Amundson, R., Thomas, B., Banfield, J. 2016. A new view of The Tree and life’s diversity. Nature Microbiology, doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.48.
Finstad, K., Pfeiffer, M., and Amundson, R. 2014. Hyperarid soils and the Soil Taxonomy. Soil Science Society of America Journal, vol. 78(6), pp. 1845-1851.
Oerter, E., Finstad, K., Schaefer, J., Goldsmith, G., Dawson, T., and Amundson, R. 2014. Oxygen isotope fractionation effects in soil water via interaction with cations (Mg, Ca, K, Na) adsorbed to phyllosilicate clay minerals. Journal of Hydrology, vol. 515, pp. 1-9.
Finstad, K., Ingram, B.L., Schweikhardt, P., Lightfoot, K., Luby, E., and Coles, G. 2013. New insights about the construction and use of shell mounds from the geochemical analysis of mollusks: an example from the greater San Francisco Bay. Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 40(6), pp. 2648-2658.
Presentations
Finstad, K., Tuite, M., Williford, K., and Amundson, R. 2015. Molecular and isotopic signs of life and climate in the hyperarid Atacama Desert. American Geophysical Union fall meeting, poster presentation.
Pfeiffer, M., Finstad, K., Amundson, R. 2015. An integrated vision for the creation of a new National Park in the Atacama Desert: a contribution from the Earth Sciences. Science for Parks and Parks for Science Conference, oral presentation.
Finstad, K., McNicol, G., Pfeiffer, M. and Amundson, R. 2014. Stabilization of desert surfaces and accumulation of dust under biological soil crusts. American Geophysical Union fall meeting, poster presentation.
Brooks, P., Sutka, R., Hughes, S., Mambelli, S., Finstad, K., Pakes, M.J., and Dawson, T. 2014. Simultaneous Analysis of N, C and S Stable Isotopes and Concentrations in Organics and Soils. American Geophysical Union fall meeting, poster presentation.
Finstad, K., Pfeiffer, M., and Amundson, R. 2014. Hyperarid soils and the Soil Taxonomy. Soil Science Society of America meeting, oral presentation.
Finstad, K., Piceno, Y., Andersen, G., and Amundson, R. 2014. Microbial community dynamics in salt crusts of the hyperarid Atacama Desert. Complex Soil Systems conference, poster presentation.
Finstad, K., and Amundson, R. 2013. The formation of extremophile habitats in dried lakebeds of the hyperarid Atacama Desert. American Geophysical Union fall meeting, poster presentation.
Oerter, E., Finstad, K., Schaefer, J., Goldsmith, G., Dawson, T., and Amundson, R. 2012. Oxygen Isotope Fractionation Effects in Soil Water via Cations Adsorbed to High-CEC Clay. American Geophysical Union fall meeting, poster presentation.
2015 – 2016: Carolyn Meek Memorial Scholarship for Soil Science
2014 – 2016: NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant
2015: Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, UC Berkeley
2015: Ecosystem Sciences Summer Grant, UC Berkeley
2014: Best Student Speaker, Soil Science Society of America Conference
2011 – 2014: NASA Earth and Space Sciences Fellowship
2008: Ramsden Research Fellowship, UC Berkeley
ESPM 2: The Biosphere, Fall 2015
ESPM 2: The Biosphere, Fall 2014
