M. Francesca Cotrufo

M. Francesca Cotrufo is a soil ecologist who focuses her work on litter decomposition and the dynamics of soil organic matter. She is currently a Professor and Associate Head in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, as well the Senior Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab, at Colorado State University.

Early life and education Cotrufo was born in Naples, Italy. in the lab of the only professor of ecology at her university. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Soil Ecology from Lancaster University, UK in 1995, where she worked with Phil Ineson as her advisor and studied soil organic matter and its formation from the decomposition of plant inputs.

Career and research Cotrufo worked as a research scientist in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the Second University of Naples from 1994 to 2000. She then became an associate professor in the department until 2006, when she was promoted to Full Professor. Additionally, she is currently researching biochar, a stable, carbon-rich solid that has the possibility to improve crop yields while also sequestering carbon. Her research on biochar looks at its application to food production in drylands as well as the recovery of soils. explores plant nitrogen concentration as a response to elevated levels of CO2.

In addition to her research, Cotrufo is passionate about promoting education and outreach activities that will help others become aware about the ways that humans can reduce their impacts on the earth and implement more sustainable practices. Advisory Board of Editors for Plant and Soil

Awards and fellowships In 2017, Cotrufo received the Mentoring Award for her success as a research scientist who is equally passionate about the success and learning of her students. Cotrufo actively supports and promotes women in soil science and has mentored over 40 women towards success as students, post-doctorates, research scientists, faculty, and teachers. In 2024, in recognition of her contributions to biogeochemical sciences, she was named as a Fellow by the American Geophysical Union.

She has also received the following awards: 2017 NREL Best Mentor Award 1994-95 British Council Research Fellow

Publications Cotrufo has published over 90 peer reviewed articles.

As indexed by Google Scholar:

Cotrufo, M. F., Ineson, P., & Scott, A. (1998). Elevated CO2 reduces the nitrogen concentration of plant tissues. Global Change Biology, 4(1), 43–54. Cotrufo, M. F., Wallenstein, M. D., Boot, C. M., Denef, K., & Paul, E. (2013). The Microbial Efficiency‐Matrix Stabilization (MEMS) framework integrates plant litter decomposition with soil organic matter stabilization: do labile plant inputs form stable soil organic matter?. Global Change Biology, 19(4), 988–995. Subke, J. A., Inglima, I., & Francesca Cotrufo, M. (2006). Trends and methodological impacts in soil CO2 efflux partitioning: a metaanalytical review. Global Change Biology, 12(6), 921–943. Norby, R. J., Cotrufo, M. F., Ineson, P., O’Neill, E. G., & Canadell, J. G. (2001). Elevated CO 2, litter chemistry, and decomposition: a synthesis. Oecologia, 127(2), 153–165. Del Galdo, I., Six, J., Peressotti, A., & Francesca Cotrufo, M. (2003). Assessing the impact of land‐use change on soil C sequestration in agricultural soils by means of organic matter fractionation and stable C isotopes. Global change biology, 9(8), 1204–1213.