GoswamiLab’s First Joint Sampling Expedition with CSBLab

5/22/2026

This week, we marked an exciting milestone by carrying out our first joint field sampling expedition with collaborators from CSBLab.

Dr. Goswami and Dr. Mishra are new faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. As they build an integrated research program spanning ecosystem-to-gene studies, this collaboration marks an important step from planning and protocol development to hands-on field research.

At our agricultural research site, we collected soil cores for two major projects. In Microbial Evolution & Co-selection, our Master’s student Liz Parker gathered bulk soil samples to study how environmental pressures shape evolutionary change in soil communities. In the Rhizosphere Interface project, PIs from GoswamiLab and CSBLab collected soil from farm fields to examine how microbiome-plant interactions influence crop health and growth.

The day also carried a strong sense of momentum and shared purpose. It was rewarding to see our graduate students move from preparation to active field sampling. With the samples now stored in ultra-low freezers, the next phase—sequencing and analysis—is underway. We are grateful to the CSBLab team for a smooth, productive collaboration and look forward to what the data will reveal.