B.A., Forensic Anthropology – University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Orebaugh is broadly interested in chemical ecology, with a particular focus on the chemical interactions between plants and microbes. He has an interest in how different rhizosphere associated fungi alter the metabolite, elemental, and spectral profile of the plant-fungal-soil system in response to various stressors. Additionally, he’s interested in chemometrics and how we can use various kinds of chemical data to understand the utility of plants and soils as biochemical sensors.

Deptartment of Defense SMART Scholar, Intelligence Community; Bredesen Center Fall 2025 Fellowship Award Recipient; 2025 Distinguished Achievement Award; “Most Enabling Capability: APPL AI Image Analysis Team” Biosciences Division