Tfaily Lab · University of Arizona
Reading the molecular language of ecosystems
We study how organic matter, microbes, and climate shape each other. We use high resolution mass spectrometry, multi-omics, and AI to follow carbon from molecules to whole ecosystems, and to see how these changes reach human health.
150+
peer reviewed papers
Desert to permafrost
ecosystems we study
Earth to Mars
soils we explore
Molecules to models
how we connect the data
What we study
01
Organic matter dynamics
How organic matter changes in soil, water, and air, from deserts and peatlands to permafrost and rainforests.
02
Microbial drivers
How microbes control greenhouse gas release and carbon storage, on Earth and beyond.
03
Plant metabolic responses
How plants respond to stress, and what that means for ecosystem resilience and invasion.
04
New analytical tools
New methods and data pipelines that link molecules, microbes, and ecosystems.
05
Environment and human health
How pollutants such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons affect human metabolism and health.
06
Metabolomics and AI in ecology
Metabolomics and AI models that track biodiversity and predict ecosystem change.
07
Phages for climate
Using phages to lower methane release from thawing permafrost.
08
Phages for human health
Phage therapy to fight antibiotic resistant infections in burn wounds.
From molecules to models
We measure thousands of molecules in a single sample. We link them to genes, microbes, and climate data. Then we build models and AI tools that predict how ecosystems will respond to change.
Our open source tools, MetaboDirect and MetaboTandem, help other labs do the same.
Join the lab
We welcome curious students, postdocs, and collaborators. Come work with us on soils, water, microbes, and data.
