I am a NERC-funded PhD student at the NERC British Antarctic Survey and the School of Biosciences at the Cardiff University researching soil fungal responses to warming in polar regions. Temperature increases in polar regions are already having negative effects on ecosystems, but still little is known of how warming might affect polar soil fungi. This gap in knowledge needs to be filled, as fungi are pivotal to many ecosystem processes, notably nutrient cycling. Molecular and microbiological methods, DNA sequencing, enzyme assays and statistical data analyses will be used to shed light on the effects of warming on soil microbial activity in both Arctic and Antarctic soils.

Research interests

I completed my degree at the Aberystwyth University, graduating with an MSc in Environmental Management and a BSc in Biochemistry. I also hold a BSc in Environmental Conservation from the Wroclaw University, Poland. I have previous experience in research in microbial responses to temperature and nitrogen perturbations in subarctic soils. My final year BSc project investigated optimal conditions for quorum sensing detection and cell-to-cell communication using signalling compounds. I was part of a team analysing greenhouse gas emissions from subarctic lakes at Abisko Scientific Research Station in 2010 as part of an Arctic Geoecology course at Umea University, Sweden. I am interested in soil science, environmental management and conservation, climate change, biogeochemical processes in ecosystems, water chemistry and water management.

• Newsham, K., Misiak, M., & Worland, M. (2020). Pseudogymnoascus roseus in soil at Mars Oasis, Alexander Island, under different temperature, irrigation and substrate treatments (Version 1.0) [Data set]. UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, UK Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.5285/1cf37889-9f77-41b9-8c49-b175fbd03406