Johannes Lehmann
Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor
Soil Sciences
CALS
Johannes Lehmann, Liberty Hyde Bailey professor of soil science at Cornell University, received his graduate degrees at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. His work focuses broadly on sustainable soil management, climate change mitigation, and the circular economy. During the past 20 years, he worked on nano-scale investigations of soil organic matter, the biogeochemistry of carbon sequestration in soil, as well as nutrient management including the development of innovative fertilizers from wastes. Much of his work examines smallholder agriculture in Africa, South America and Asia, including collaborations with CARE, The Nature Conservancy and EDF. Johannes has been developing alternatives to slash-and-burn and fertilizers from wastes in Ethiopia, Burundi and Sierra Leone. As part of the Productive Safety Net Program he developed carbon sequestration options and climate-smart agriculture practices in Ethiopia. Johannes has been working on biofuel and biochar production with smallholder farmers in Kenya, including management of latrine wastes in the slums of Nairobi. Johannes is a member of the steering group of the International Soil Carbon Network, has testified in US congress, briefed the President’s council of advisors, and was part of Workgroup 2 on Monitoring and Assessment of Sustainable Land Management of UNCCD and various IPCC groups. At Cornell, Johannes teaches courses in carbon and nutrient management in natural and managed ecosystems. He is the co-instructor of a course that explores the humanities’ and artistic viewpoints on environment, science and sustainability, serves on the faculty committee of the Johnson Museum at Cornell University, and develops approaches to include art practices in science. He has authored more than 300 journal publications, was named Highly-Cited Researcher by Thomson Reuter-Clarivate since 2014, is member of the US and German National Academies of Sciences, and served as editor-in-chief of the journal Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems from 2014-2021.
Candidate Statement:
The university holds a unique position in society, educating a new generation, providing knowledge for the future and advising the public today. Cornell has a special role to play, being both a private and a land-grant university. Many of our faculty and students work with diverse stakeholders not only in New York State but also internationally. At the same time, the different disciplines conduct education, research and outreach in very different ways, including with varying incentive structures. I would like to motivate us to intensify our efforts to bring these different protagonists together within and outside the university in meaningful co-creation and collaboration, with respect and a mutual understanding that we are in this world together. In light of current events, this seems more important than ever.