People

Post Doc  Miller Institute for Basic Research, UC Berkeley, advisor: Dr. Todd Dawson

PhD  University of Utah, advisor: Dr. John Sperry

MSc University of Toronto, advisor: Dr. Rowan Sage

B. Arts & Sci.  McMaster University, advisor: Dr. John Lott

jpitterm@ucsc.edu

If you want to know more, click here.

Ryan is interested in how fire affects xylem and vascular cambium in trees. He uses multiple approaches to study structure and function, and infer how the vascular response couples to post-fire recovery. (Click on photo for link to personal website)

Vidi has an MSc from Cal State Bakersfield where she investigated chaparral plants, specifically looking at plant hydraulic responses to drought. She will continue in this line of inquiry, expanding her interests to answer broader questions in plant structure and function.

My interests are in how plants function within an ecosystem, and how their physiology can alter based on plant communities and disturbances. My current research is investigating how fire impacts drought adaptations in plants under different community assemblages and across geographic regions. I conduct a lot of fieldwork in California, with a corresponding amount of lab work, and it's that balance that I love about what I do. (Click on photo for link to personal website)

Scottie is interested in physiological constraints of plant communities under high stress. Her Master's looks at drought impacts on vascular tissue viability and recovery dynamics in coast redwood saplings. She hopes to branch the gap between plant physiology and forest ecology

Alex has completed a Master's degree in plant hydraulics at Cal State, Bakersfield and is continuing to pursue his interests in plant hydraulics and ecophysiology. He is currently working with terrestrial and epiphytic ferns, and is lead manager of a large greenhouse project.

Dr. Burns received her B.Sc. at UC Davis followed by a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in Dr. Todd Dawson's lab.  Emily is currently the Program Director at Sky Island Alliance.

There may be an opportunity for a doctoral student starting in Fall 2025. Please contact me should you be interested (jpitterm@ucsc.edu).

I enjoy mentoring students with a broad interest in plant physiology, evolution, and structure and function. Methods in our lab involve a combination of field campaigns (collecting samples, using instruments to assess water potential, photosynthesis, etc.), hydraulic measures, anatomy, and other approaches, depending on the question. 

I provide students with guidance on 1. developing a thesis project that is rewarding, achievable, and has the potential to make an important contribution, 2. developing a research plan, 3. manuscript preparation, and 4. preparation of grant proposals. Securing your research funding is a necessary aspect of scholarly and professional activity so I expect students to think creatively and to pro-actively seek support for their projects.

I strongly encourage students to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which provides three years of support. Information about our department, application deadlines, etc. can be found here.