Soil System Scientist 

Dr. Sam Leuthold

Hi there, I’m Sam. I’m a postdoctoral fellow in the Cotrufo Soil Innovation Lab at Colorado State University. My primary research interests revolve around a core theme: "How do we leverage our understanding of ecosystem dynamics, soil system heterogeneity, and agricultural productivity into the manifestation of a more sustainable food system?" Currently, my work focuses on leveraging state of the science tools, things like mid-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning, to better understand soil organic matter and improve the means by which it can be measured at scale. Along the way to my current role, I’ve worked on a varied set of projects, ranging from streamflow biogeochemistry to corn and soybean agronomics. My interests are driven by the inherent multi-disciplinary nature of soil science, and the intricacies of the soil system from the microscopic scale up to a landscape and global level.  I'm passionate about the role soil sustainability and management needs to play in strengthening global food security in the coming decades, and the ways that an integrated soil-crop system perspective can lead to improved yield coupled with improved sustainability. 

The buttons below provide further looks at my publication history, outreach and teaching experience, and current projects. Let me know if you’d like to connect!

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|Agroecology|

|Data Visualization|

|landscape heterogeneity|

|Soil spectroscopy|

|Progressive Agriculture Policy|

|Soil-Crop Modeling|

|Soil carbon storage|

|Cover Crops|

| SOM BIOGEOCHEMISTRY|