Jennifer DeBruyn, Ph.D., is a professor of environmental microbiology in the Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science at the University of Tennessee. She received her B.S. in biology (honours) from Queen’s University (Canada) and her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Tennessee. She studies decomposition and biodegradation in natural and agroecosystems. One of her focus areas is the decomposition of animal (including human) mortalities, where her work on the necrobiome, i.e., the microbial communities disassembling bodies, has uncovered how our nutrient-rich bodies are recycled back into ecosystems.

A second focus area is the impact of agricultural plastics (including microplastics) on soil microbes and implications for agroecosystem soil health. DeBruyn has authored >100 peer reviewed research publications and provides expert consultation for industry and policy groups in agriculture, forensic science, biohazard remediation, green deathcare and bioplastics. DeBruyn is also active in outreach, developing K-12 STEM curriculum and conducting educator training through her Backyard STEM program for Tennessee 4-H and the Soil Science Society of America Soils4Teachers program.