Margaret Fernando (she/her) - Ph.D. Student

Margaret completed her B.S. in Chemistry at Iowa State University and continued with a M.S. in Plant Science at California State University, Fresno. While completing her M.S. degree she worked for the USDA-ARS in Parlier, Cal., and researched the impacts of native and introduced cover crops on soil health, crop-water dynamics, and weed pressure in a table grape vineyard. Margaret’s interests primarily involve agroecology and the effects of farming practices on soil health. Her Ph.D. research will compare organic and conventional systems, and her main objective is to determine whether the transition to organic can be optimized with regenerative management.  

Cindy Maldonado (she/her) - Ph.D. student
co-chaired Ph.D. student (with Sunny Liao)

Cindy earned a B.S. in Microbiology from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the National University of Colombia. Her professional experience in Colombia focused on the use of beneficial, cultivable microorganisms to develop bioproducts for the control of crop pests and diseases, with the goal of reducing reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides. She joined the lab in Fall 2025 and is currently a Ph.D. student in the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences program. Her main research interests center on understanding and harnessing the potential of soil microbial communities to improve soil health, enhance plant productivity, and contribute to resilient agroecosystems.

Valkiria Borsa Piroli (she/her) - Ph.D. Student

Valkiria completed her B.S. in Agronomy at the Federal University of Technology in Brazil and earned her M.S. from São Paulo State University, where she worked on boron and sulfur management. Valkiria’s interests lie in sustainable nutrient management in cropping systems. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences program in Dr. Maltais-Landry’s lab, where she works on the integration of crop-livestock systems. Her research focuses on understanding nutrient cycling, soil health, and plant performance in complex cropping systems.

Rajkaranbir Singh (he/him) - Ph.D. Student (SNRE)

Raj earned his B.S. in Agriculture from Punjab Agricultural University and completed his M.S. in Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Florida. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Ecology in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Florida. His research focuses on nutrient cycling, soil health, and sustainable organic crop production. His work examines organic soybean systems, double cropping, nutrient uptake and partitioning, residue decomposition, and soil carbon dynamics in Florida agroecosystems. His research also integrates field experimentation and modeling approaches to better understand nutrient cycling and improve the sustainability of organic production systems in the southeastern United States. Previously, his M.S. research focused on nitrogen management in snap bean production in North Florida, including fertilizer source, rate, and placement effects on crop yield, quality, and soil nitrogen dynamics. Through his work, Raj aims to develop practical, science-based strategies that improve nutrient use efficiency, strengthen soil health, and support sustainable agroecosystems.

Kendall Mackin (she/her) - OPS

Kendall first joined the lab in 2021 as an undergraduate intern primarily assisting with a project looking at soil health related to different cover crop arrangements and fertilization approaches in organic vegetable production. She earned a B.S. in environmental science with a minor in plant science at the University of Florida in the spring of 2023. Since then, she has assisted with lab work for several different projects including work with nutrient cycling analyses and soil health indicators. She earned her MS conducting research focused on the optimization of a soil enzyme activity assay for using coarse textured soil and its application in assessing the impact of cover crops on soil health in Florida citrus groves.