Michael Kertesz
Michael Kertesz is Associate Professor for Soil Microbiology in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. He joined USyd in 2009 after 10 years at the University of Manchester and 10 years at the ETH Zürich. His research interests focus on how bacteria and fungi react to changes in their surroundings, especially in soil and compost, and much of his earlier work focussed on microbial organosulfur and organophosphorus transformations in soils. In recent years he has concentrated on unravelling the dynamics of the microbial communities that are essential in the production of commercial button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus), identifying the organisms that are present at different stages of mushroom compost production and mushroom cropping, and investigating how these communities are influenced by changes in substrate and composting conditions. His work aims to optimize composting efficiency, and identify key organisms (or groups of organisms) that interact directly with the Agaricus mycelium to promote healthy mushroom fruitbody formation.
Abstracts this author is presenting: