Understanding processes regulating carbon, nutrient, and contaminant transport through the plant-soil-microbe system is increasingly important as soil systems are under escalating stress from a changing climate and unsustainable land use practices. Furthermore, soil resources are often unavailable to plants because they are tightly bound to soil minerals and soil organic matter (SOM). This session is focused on research that employs multiple experimental techniques including at least one x-ray/synchrotron method (spectroscopy, imaging, etc.) to better characterize processes such as SOM stabilization, mineral-SOM interactions, nutrient movement, and root formation/growth. We invite presentations featuring novel techniques to investigate the interplay of SOM, nutrients, mineralogy, microbes, roots, and soil microstructure. Field, laboratory, modeling, and cross-disciplinary studies across all scales are encouraged. We hope to generate knowledge and discussion that leads to new experimental approaches possibly involving multiple DOE national user facilities, and to improved understanding of transformations under a changing climate and sustainable agriculture.