Alex Pivovaroof is a plant eco-physiologist specializing in water relations, hydraulics, and functional traits. A California native herself, she is particularly interested in the California Floristic Province and other Mediterranean-type climate regions.
As a La Kretz Center postdoc, Alex studied how plants respond to changes in their environment. Her research focused on live fuel moisture, an important fire behavior trait. She also worked on a collaborative project monitoring plant carbon and water fluxes to determine how native species will respond to climate change.
Alex earned her Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of California Riverside, where as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow she studied chaparral and coastal sage scrub responses to drought and nitrogen deposition. She also holds a B.A. in Biology from Whittier College.
Alex continued her work as a postdoctoral associate at the Pacific Northwest National Lab, and is now an Assistant Professor for the Biology department at Occidental College.
