Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
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Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
@aaberhe.com
9.8K followers 430 following 220 posts
Scientist, educator, advocate for inclusive excellence in STEM. Former Director of DOE Office of Science.
Soil biogeochemistry | Climate Change |Political Ecology.
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Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe @aaberhe.com · May 9
New pub in @aguadvances.bsky.social: "A Soil Scientist Goes to Washington: Navigating the Path to National #ScienceLeadership" #STEM
Sharing my journey as DOE Office of Science Director, the challenges faced, and why inclusive excellence in STEM matters now more than ever.
Read: tinyurl.com/ms2nhr4f
aaberhe.com
Please help us spread the word about this great opportunity for a scholar with a strong publication, and funding record related to climate and environmental research; and excellent written communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills. aprecruit.ucmerced.edu/JPF02050
Assistant Project Scientist
University of California, Merced is hiring. Apply now!
aprecruit.ucmerced.edu
February 10, 2026 at 3:25 AM
aaberhe.com
I just returned from Dakar where I co-chaired the NASEM US-Africa Frontiers in Science, Engineering, & Medicine symposium tinyurl.com/ybdjn22m. It was an extraordinary gathering of leading scholars from across Africa & US discussing timely research.
Truly one of the highlights of my career!
February 7, 2026 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
newphyt.bsky.social
#TansleyReview: #Soil organic matter dynamics under changing #precipitation regimes

@aaberhe.com et al.
👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue @teamrat.bsky.social
Fig. 2 Individual and interactive impacts of soil physicochemistry, microbes, fauna, and plants on soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics.
February 7, 2026 at 3:30 PM
aaberhe.com
New paper on role of polyvalent cations in buried soil C stabilization led by my former lab group members Manisha and Teneille, working with the best collaborators.
moreorloess.bsky.social Joe Mason @moreorloess.bsky.social · 9d
Another new paper on carbon stored in buried soils in Great Plains loess. This one is focused on mechanisms of OM stabilization in buried and modern soils, especially polyvalent cations like Ca++ in the buried Brady Soil, which contains pedogenic carbonates. doi.org/10.1029/2025...
Soil Organic Matter Stabilization by Polyvalent Cations in a Buried Alkaline Soil
Soil organic matter persistence varies with depth, soil age, and landscape position in Nebraska loess soils Persistence of carbon in buried soil is enhanced by mineral associations, aggregation, ...
doi.org
February 1, 2026 at 1:19 PM
aaberhe.com
Attending today's California's First Nature Based Solutions Summit, it was so lovely to meet our @ucmerced.bsky.social @snriucmerced.bsky.social alumni who now hold key positions across the state.
January 30, 2026 at 1:59 AM
aaberhe.com
A lot going on in the world these days.
It is an incredible privilage to live & work in our state where today CNRA, CARB and CDFA hosted California's First Nature Based Solutions Summit.
It was an honor to be invited to speak along with many folx I admire. So much soil love throughout the day 🤎!
January 30, 2026 at 1:53 AM
aaberhe.com
It was so lovely to meet you in person @christinatoms.bsky.social. Sci-twitter connections are the best!
christinatoms.bsky.social Christina Toms @christinatoms.bsky.social · 11d
LIFE GOAL ACHIEVED: I finally met @aaberhe.com in person!!!
Selfie of me and the Honorable Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, climate science and adaptation advisor to the Obama and Biden admins, and OG science Twitter (RIP) queen! ❤️
January 29, 2026 at 11:15 PM
aaberhe.com
My son, Essey's, latest article in the Yale Global Health Review, on the dangers of defunding mRNA vaccines. yaleglobalhealthreview.com/2026/01/15/t...
The Dangers Inherent to RFK Jr. Defunding mRNA Vaccines
BY ESSEY AFEWERKI It is not particularly groundbreaking to say that the state of public health in the United States is in a historically precarious position. With the re-election and inauguration o…
yaleglobalhealthreview.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Reposted by Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
newphyt.bsky.social
✨ Paper spotlight ✨

(🧵 1/6) Soil organic matter dynamics under changing precipitation regimes
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@teamrat.bsky.social @aaberhe.com
Fig. 1 Research history of soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics at the plant–fauna–microbe interfaces under changing precipitation and soil water availability.
December 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
aaberhe.com
🌟✨New paper: Check out our New Phytologist Tansley review on how changing precipitation patterns (changes in amount, intensity, & frequency of ppt already being observed due to climate change) affect soil organic matter dynamics.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
@ghezzehei.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
aaberhe.com
The science breakthrough of 2025 is Solar Energy, not because it is new but because of how successful its deployment has been. This year renewable energy surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide. Hopeful sign for what’s to come.
www.science.org/content/arti...
December 21, 2025 at 6:59 PM
aaberhe.com
TFW your professional society, at a conference you've been attending for 20+ years, finally gets your name to appear on the badge correctly. #AGU25
December 15, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
aaberhe.com
If you are going to be at AGU, you don't want to miss this one. I am so looking forward to Markus' 2025 Reeburgh Lecture.
December 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
aaberhe.com
Grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her $38 million gift ... the largest in UC Merced's history, surpassing even her own record-setting donation to our campus in 2021.
She continues to be one of the few doing billionairing right.
news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/uc...
UC Merced Receives Transformational $38 Million Gift from MacKenzie Scott | Newsroom
news.ucmerced.edu
December 8, 2025 at 9:34 PM
aaberhe.com
If you are going to be at AGU, you don't want to miss this one. I am so looking forward to Markus' 2025 Reeburgh Lecture.
December 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
aaberhe.com
Happy world SOIL day all!
Soil is life! Soil is beautiful!
December 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
aaberhe.com
Please nominate your self and/or others to review the the United by Nature Assessment (formerly the US National Nature Assessment).
Spread the word.
phillevin.bsky.social Phil Levin @phillevin.bsky.social · Dec 2
The National Academies is inviting nominations for experts to review the draft United by Nature assessment. Ecology, climate, conservation, social science, sci-comm + more. If someone comes to mind—maybe you—please nominate & please the word!

www.nationalacademies.org/projects/DEL...
Review of the draft United by Nature assessment
The United by Nature Assessment is designed to be “a holistic assessment of U.S. lands, waters, and wildlife, and the benefits they provide.
www.nationalacademies.org
December 5, 2025 at 5:40 AM
aaberhe.com
On this #GivingTuesday, if you are able, please support local scientists working to address some of the most pressing environmental, climate, and related challenges at the @snriucmerced.bsky.social
Make a gift today: lnkd.in/girEEWra
Learn more at snri.ucmerced.edu
Follow us on social media.
December 2, 2025 at 5:31 PM
aaberhe.com
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:

Lion
Giraffe
Hippopotamus
Wildebeest
African Elephant
napaaqtuk.bsky.social Dr. Kat Napaaqtuk❄️ @napaaqtuk.bsky.social · Nov 28
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:

Caribou
Ravens
Seals
Kea
Turkeys
mostlymammoths.bsky.social Jeanne Timmons @mostlymammoths.bsky.social · Nov 28
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:

Moose
Humpback whales
Giraffes
African Elephants
West African or Nile monitor lizard
November 28, 2025 at 5:01 PM
aaberhe.com
Honored to be featured in this piece celebrating 30 yrs of the Hellman Fellowship program! This early support was instrumental in setting my lab for success. Grateful to the Hellman family for their vision in supporting junior faculty across the UC. www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/society...
The Society of Hellman Fellows celebrates 30 years of transformative faculty support
The fellowships, made possibly by a $125M endowment from the Hellman family, have provided vital support to more than 2,000 junior faculty, many of whom now lead in their fields.
www.universityofcalifornia.edu
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
aaberhe.com
The fervor around college sports in the US will always fascinate me. And, when my child is excitedly rooting for his school's team, I can't help but cheer as they crush the visitors today.
November 22, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
zulaqi.bsky.social
How Soil Collection Honors Lynching Victims.
aaberhe.com Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe @aaberhe.com · Nov 4
My article on the Soil Collection at the Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery, AL, which honors victims of racial terror, is published in CSA News.
As a soil scientist, I was struck by the profound symbolism when I learned about this collection. www.sciencesocieties.org/publications...
As soil is our witness | Science Societies
In Montgomery, AL, there is a moving exhibit with rows of glass jars lining the walls of the Memorial for Peace and Justice. Each jar contains soil collected from some of the sites where more than 4,4...
www.sciencesocieties.org
November 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
greisha-ortiz.bsky.social
“Our work matter today more than ever!”
-Dr. @aaberhe.com

@SACNAS #NDiSTEM2025
October 30, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
ethanrockstory.bsky.social
🧪🍎⚒️ Hey @sacnas.bsky.social
What a fantastic keynote from @aaberhe.com ! She talked about soil science, weathering, and erosion as a metaphor for overcoming challenges.

Every rock has a Story!
youtube.com/@everyrockha...
October 30, 2025 at 2:36 PM
aaberhe.com
this is a relief.
But more advocacy will clearly be needed going forward.
The PPFP is an exemplary program. I’m a proud former President’s postdoc fellow, and always a supporter of this critical program.
miriamposner.com Miriam Posner @miriamposner.com · Nov 18
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
On official UC letterhead: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA James B. Milliken President Office of the President 1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA 94607 universityofcalifornia.edu CAMPUSES Berkeley Davis Irvine UCLA Merced Riverside San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Santa Cruz MEDICAL CENTERS Davis Irvine UCLA San Diego San Francisco NATIONAL LABORATORIES Lawrence Berkeley Lawrence Livermore Los Alamos DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES November 18, 2025 Dear Chancellors: I'm writing with regard to the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the program's associated faculty hiring incentive. As you know, for more than 40 years, PPFP has provided postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service advance the academic and research missions of the University of California. Since 2003, UC campuses that hire current and former PPFP fellows into ladder-rank positions have been eligible for a hiring incentive funded by the University that provides support for newly hired fellows for five years. Since the creation of the incentive, more than $162 million has been invested by the University to support PPFP faculty hires. This commitment has enabled our campuses to successfully recruit and retain outstanding faculty across a range of disciplines. Given the myriad challenges currently facing UC - including disruptions to billions of dollars in annual federal support, as well as uncertainty around the state budget- reasonable questions were raised in recent months about whether the University could maintain the commitment to current levels of incentive funding. After considering a recommendation to sunset the incentive program due to these significant fiscal constraints, I consulted with all of you as well as faculty and campus academic administrators and systemwide Academic Senate leadership. [continued on next image] After learning more about the history and success of the program and weighing the thoughtful perspectives that have been shared, I have concluded that barring extraordinary financial setbacks, the PPFP faculty hiring incentive program will continue while the University continues to assess the program's structure as well as its long-term financial sustainability. As a result of our continuing consultation and review, there may be consideration of some changes to elements of the program including the total number of incentives supported, a number that has fluctuated significantly over the years, and how the awards are distributed among campuses. In the meantime, the University will continue to fund the PPFP faculty hiring incentive program and campuses may continue to take advantage of these incentives. We will have an opportunity to discuss any potential changes prior to adoption. As we look to the future, I will continue to engage with faculty leaders, program stakeholders, and UC community members about this important program. I especially appreciate the thoughtful perspectives shared in recent weeks by Academic Council Chair Palazoglu and Vice Chair Scott, the Council of Graduate Deans, UC faculty members, and you as our campus leaders. Sincerely, James B. Milliken President
November 18, 2025 at 11:08 PM