Venanzio Munyaka
Dr. Venanzio (Vena) Munyaka holds a PhD in Geology from Baylor University, where his doctorate research focused on the paleoclimate and paleoecology of Miocene primate habitats in eastern Africa. He applied paleobotanical approaches including leaf physiognomy (size and shape), biogenic silica (phytoliths), and paleosol geochemistry to answer these questions.
At the Environmental Change Initiative (ECI), Dr. Munyaka collaborates with Professors Melissa Berke (CEEES) and Ryan Sensing (Biology) on a project examining how soil organic carbon (SOC) responds to the interaction of fire and grazing across two study sites in Indiana and Kenya. This work is part of a long-term experimental program investigating fire–grazing dynamics in grassland ecosystems. His role involves using biomarker techniques to quantify both living microbial biomass, using phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), and microbial necromass (dead microbial bodies), using amino sugar analysis, in order to better understand their contributions to SOC dynamics in these systems.