Welcome to duvalecology.org

Given our unique location in Socorro, NM,  and our network of collaborators and projects in the Southwest, the Duval Lab is thriving as a hub for arid land ecosystem research and teaching. Please contact us about potential collaboration, existing projects, and if you have interest in joining us as a student or visiting researcher.   

​NEWS:
1-23-2019
We have confirmation from Elsevier Publishing that Dr. Walt Whitford's book (on which I am a co-author), Ecology of Desert Systems 2nd Edition, has all requisite materials to begin the copy-editing process. A long slog indeed to get the 2nd edition worked up (including new chapters on climate change and invasive species), and we'll update when we have a release date 

10-15-2018
Full steam ahead! We are finally at full force, and blazing through sample prep and analysis for the next round of Animas River contaminant samples, have students taking a deep-dive into N-cycle dynamics via soil hydroxylamine conversion, are busy sorting riparian insects for metal biogechemistry work, and planning new experiments with sorghum stress.  

7-6-2018
We took our first trace gas measurements from water level wells along the Rio Grande! We are excited to kick off an evolving project... So far, the idea is to investigate interactions between salt-cedar beetles, post-fire re-vegetation of salt-cedar and cottonwood, and trace gas production in river-connected deep soils. Sounds cool, right?!?! Images from Matt Zimmerer's drone flights forthcoming. 

6-15-2018
Dr. Cody Champion will be joining the Duval Lab in the Fall of 2018 as a Post-doctoral ORISE Fellow. 

5-14-2018
Congrats to all of our Biology BS and MS graduates on Saturday!

10-16-2017
NM Tech's updated online application system for grad students is up and running. Please follow this link to apply, and drop me a line if you do (and see below and elsewhere here for potential grad student information).  

Sorghum below ground (that would be the roots...) harvest completed, now onto sample processing

9-26-2017
Sorghum harvest (above ground) completed at Los Lunas! Dennis, Jose, Richard and Tom, thank you! 

Second ROOTS meeting at the Los Lunas NMSU farm. Thank you to Dr. Mark Marsalis for hosting and providing sorghum knowledge to the uninitiated.

8-31-2017
I am accepting graduate applications for Master's students (start date Fall 2018). Funding is available for native NM plant-microbial ecology projects and arid land agro-biogeochemistry. Competitive Teaching Assistantships are offered via NM Tech Biology Department. We require a General application to NM Tech's Biology program.  Please contact me as soon as possible!

8-25-2017
The National Park Service approved my grant proposal submitted to the Southwestern Invasive Plant Species Task Force, and will be in contact about contract negotiations. Stay tuned for potential graduate opportunities related to this project.

8-1-2017
The root carbon dynamics of sorghum project kick-off meeting took place at Sandia National Lab. We are incredibly excited to work with the Department of Energy's ARPAe ROOTS program. For more information, see the Sandia award notification.