Andrew Margenot is an Assistant Professor of Soil Science in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Margenot’s work addresses the literal foundation of all cropping systems: soils. He seeks to advance how we monitor and manage soils as natural capital. His research team evaluates how human activities can enhance or compromise soil services to human societies, with an emphasis on agroecosystems in the US Midwest and the tropics.