Emma Hauser joined the UW–Madison faculty in August 2024 as an assistant professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. Her position is also part of RISE-EARTH, the sustainability-themed focus area of the university’s Wisconsin RISE Initiative strategic hiring effort to solve grand challenges. 

What is your hometown? Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Athens, Ohio.

What is your educational/professional background, including your previous position?
I earned my bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Earlham College in Richmond, IN. After graduating, I spent a year as an intern at The Land Institute in Salina, KS, before I went to grad school in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. Prior to arriving at UW, I completed a postdoc at the University of Montana where I studied global carbon and nutrient cycling linkages and conducted activities for an NSF Research Coordination Network.  

What is your field of research, and how did you get into it?
I study ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry. When I was an undergrad, I had the opportunity to participate in a program at the Woods Hole Ecosystems Center in Massachusetts where I studied ecosystem ecology for a semester. After that I knew I wanted to keep studying ecosystems! Something that really drew me to the topic is its interdisciplinary nature. 

What are the main goals of your current research program?
The primary goal of my research program is to improve our understanding of ecosystem processes that drive carbon cycling and storage, including interactions between plants, soils, and nutrients. These processes are important for developing climate change solutions, so a long-term aim of my work is to produce actionable science that can guide future decisions and help mitigate human impacts on the planet.

What was your first visit to campus like?
My dad’s family is from Madison, so the first time I was on campus was to get ice cream at Babcock Creamery with my grandparents. The creamery is right across from my office now, so I feel like I’ve come full circle.  

What’s one thing you hope students who take a class with you will come away with?
Each of us is an important actor in Earth’s ecosystems. 

Do you feel your work relates in any way to the Wisconsin Idea? If so, please describe how.
Yes! I explore ways that human activities influence ecosystems and especially how those impacts may alter forests’ ability to store carbon. I hope that this work will be useful for developing strategies and policies that communities can implement locally and regionally to address climate change.

What’s something interesting about your area of expertise you can share that will make us sound smarter at parties?
There is a lot of life underneath our feet. One tablespoon of soil contains billions of microbes, and plant roots can be meters deep beneath the Earth’s surface (the deepest known are longer than the length of a football field).

What are your hobbies and other interests?
 I enjoy long distance trail and road running, reading novels, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and spending time with my partner and our dog.