Mrs Melis Sercan Akkoca

My research explores the microbial contributions to carbon and nitrogen cycling in soils, with a particular emphasis on how these processes respond to different land management strategies and soil amendments such as biochar, hydrogel, and rock dust. Using enhanced stable isotope techniques—including Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS), isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), and stable isotope probing (SIP)—I investigate microbial metabolism at the molecular level. I am especially interested in combining compound-specific and position-specific isotope analyses with microbial lipid and amino acid biomarkers to trace carbon and nitrogen transformations over time. This approach aims to improve our understanding of soil organic matter stability, microbial resource use efficiency, and long-term ecosystem resilience under shifting environmental conditions.