Professor Andy Neal
Andrew Neal is an internationally recognised soil microbiologist and systems thinker whose work has reshaped how scientists and farmers understand soil as a living, self-organising system. As Director of Research at the Centre for Dynamic Soils, he brings over 25 years of experience in soil microbiology, soil physics, and regenerative agriculture; advising governments, food businesses, and farmers on how to build resilient, low-input, high-performing soils. His research on the “extended composite phenotype” of soil, microbial ecology, and soil organic carbon underpins practical strategies for improving soil health, nutrient-use efficiency, and climate resilience on farms around the world.
He is an Honorary Professor at the School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham and Editor-in-Chief at CABI Soil Science Cases.
Career History
Centre for Dynamic Soils CIC, Copplestone, UK
Director of Research. November 2025 – present
Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK
Senior Research Scientist. June 2019 – November 2025
Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
Research Scientist. November 2007 – June 2019
Savannah River Ecology Lab of The University of Georgia, USA
August 2002 – October 2007
Montana State University, Bozeman, USA
February 1999 – August 2002
University of Wales, Bangor, UK
June 1997 – January 1999
Media coverage (recent)
BBC Radio 4 Farming Today Weedkiller glyphosate and its use on crops. May 2026.
Six Inches of Soil podcast, Unearthed: Joys of soil, July 2025.
Farm Gate podcast, In-the-field at Groundswell: Can farming escape glyphosate? July 2025.
BBC Radio 4 Farming Today Bluetongue restrictions, telecoms leases, regenerative agriculture, June 2025.
Agriculture 4.0 podcast, May 2025.
Peer Reviewed Publications (selected)
Soil as an extended composite phenotype of the microbial metagenome AL Neal, A Bacq-Labreuil, X Zhang, IM Clark, K Coleman, SJ Mooney, Scientific Reports 10 (1), 10649
Arable soil nitrogen dynamics reflect organic inputs via the extended composite phenotype Neal, A.L., Barrat, H.A., Bacq-Lebreuil, A. et al. Nature Food 4 (1), 51-60
Comparison of direct and indirect soil organic carbon prediction at farm field scale. IJG Segura C, Neal AL, Castro-Sardiňa L, Harris P, Rivero MJ, Cardenas LM. Journal of Environmental Management 365, 121573
Cover crop species have contrasting influence upon soil structural genesis and microbial community phenotype A Bacq-Labreuil, J Crawford, SJ Mooney, AL Neal, K Ritz. Scientific reports 9 (1), 7473
Temporal signals in dairy cattle slurry and fertilized field soil resistomes and bacterial communities. AD Williams, SPT Hooton, LM Avery, RL Hough, JL Hobman, DJ Stekel, Frontiers in Microbiology 16, 1666851
DGCNN approach links metagenome-derived taxon and functional information providing insight into global soil organic carbon. LJ Gardiner, M Marshall, K Reusch, C Dearden, M Birmingham, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes 10 (1), 113