Dr Michaela Reay is a Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate based in the Organic Geochemistry Unit in the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol. Michaela is a biogeochemist, with expertise in stable isotope probing, and a keen interest in applying analytical chemistry to environmental questions. Michaela is currently working on the NERC Microcycle project. She is developing and applying high resolution mass spectrometric techniques to determine how riverine dissolved and particulate organic matter varies along a river continuum. This work is also quantifying the microbial processing of different carbon substrates by the microbial community in rivers using compound-specific 13C-stable isotope probing.

Michaela completed her PhD at the University of Bristol in 2020, where she focused on using compound-specific 15N-stable isotope probing to elucidate microbial N cycling in grazed ecosystems. She subsequently moved to the University of Birmingham, working at the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research Free Air Carbon Enrichment experiment, elucidating the effect of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide on nutrient cycling in mature forests. Michaela has previously worked on the GCRF Plastic Legacy in Soil project and will focus on using high resolution mass spectrometry to quantify and trace microplastics and associated additives from agricultural plastics, alongside investigating the impacts on nutrient cycling under plastic mulch using stable istope probing.