Joel Kostka is Tom and Marie Patton Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair for Research in the Schools of Biological Sciences and Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology. Kostka is an expert in ecosystem biogeoscience, which couples biogeochemistry with microbiology to uncover the role of microorganisms in ecosystem function along with determining the mechanisms by which environmental perturbations (climate change) alter microbially-mediated biogeochemical cycles.