Principal Investigator
Dr. Christine Scoffoni
[email protected]
Tel: 323-343-2059
Office: ASCB 323B
I am French and American, married to an Argentinian, and Spanish at heart. My interest in plants started during my undergraduate studies, when I took a world vegetation class and got introduced to the amazing adaptations plants exhibit to survive all kinds of environments. I obtained my PhD in 2014 at UCLA working under Dr. Lawren Sack. As an undergraduate student, I worked with Dr. Stefan Hattenschwiler (CEFE CNRS, France) on litter decomposition in tropical forests, and Dr. Guillermo Goldstein (CONICET, Argentina) on seedling survival in the Atlantic forest. I received a Master's Degree in Plant Functional Biology from the University of Bordeaux (France), where I got the opportunity to do a 6-month research internship at UCLA with Dr. Lawren Sack. Prior to starting my PhD at UCLA, I volunteered for one year in Dr. Fernando Valladares' lab (Madrid, Spain), where I conducted field ecophysiological experiments in the Alto Tajo. I love LA and its amazing cultural diversity, beaches and mountains nearby. I love to escape the city and camp in Joshua Tree or Sequoia NP, as well as to play guitar. As a Professor at CalState LA, I aim to teach and empower diverse students and minorities into cutting-edge research. Feel free to contact me if you want to join the lab or collaborate!
[email protected]
Tel: 323-343-2059
Office: ASCB 323B
I am French and American, married to an Argentinian, and Spanish at heart. My interest in plants started during my undergraduate studies, when I took a world vegetation class and got introduced to the amazing adaptations plants exhibit to survive all kinds of environments. I obtained my PhD in 2014 at UCLA working under Dr. Lawren Sack. As an undergraduate student, I worked with Dr. Stefan Hattenschwiler (CEFE CNRS, France) on litter decomposition in tropical forests, and Dr. Guillermo Goldstein (CONICET, Argentina) on seedling survival in the Atlantic forest. I received a Master's Degree in Plant Functional Biology from the University of Bordeaux (France), where I got the opportunity to do a 6-month research internship at UCLA with Dr. Lawren Sack. Prior to starting my PhD at UCLA, I volunteered for one year in Dr. Fernando Valladares' lab (Madrid, Spain), where I conducted field ecophysiological experiments in the Alto Tajo. I love LA and its amazing cultural diversity, beaches and mountains nearby. I love to escape the city and camp in Joshua Tree or Sequoia NP, as well as to play guitar. As a Professor at CalState LA, I aim to teach and empower diverse students and minorities into cutting-edge research. Feel free to contact me if you want to join the lab or collaborate!
Post-doctoral Researchers
We are looking for a postdoctoral scholar to start August 2020, more information on this soon.
Master Students
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Fahad Ahmed
Thesis: The diversity of leaf drought responses in Banksia My name is Fahad Ahmed and I am a first year master’s student. Major field of interest in Plant Physiology and Evolution. My passion for plants started at a young age when my mother taught me gardening. This experience sparked my interest and love for plants. During my undergraduate studies at California State University Dominguez Hills, I embraced my passion further by taking a course in plant physiology. My interest and knowledge in plant biology provided the path to pursue a M.S. program in Plant Physiology and Evolution. The goal of my research at CSULA is to explore the drivers of drought tolerance across Banksia species. After completion of my research I would like to pursue a PhD in Plant Biology. My hobbies include gardening, basketball, and hiking. |
Amber Jolly
Thesis: Seasonal plasticity in leaf hydraulics of non-perennial stream vegetation in Southern California
I am a second-year master's student here at Cal State LA. I completed my undergraduate degree at Cal State Fullerton where I studied algae in the marine environment. After being involved in fieldwork for a hydrogeomorphology project, I became interested in the vegetation adjacent to the streams and transitioned my research interests from algae to plants. My thesis focuses on how six native trees that inhabit areas adjacent to a stream may physiologically respond to drought. Upon completion of my degree, I hope to pursue a PhD to further immerse myself in environmental research - and ultimately would like to work in environmental management.
Thesis: Seasonal plasticity in leaf hydraulics of non-perennial stream vegetation in Southern California
I am a second-year master's student here at Cal State LA. I completed my undergraduate degree at Cal State Fullerton where I studied algae in the marine environment. After being involved in fieldwork for a hydrogeomorphology project, I became interested in the vegetation adjacent to the streams and transitioned my research interests from algae to plants. My thesis focuses on how six native trees that inhabit areas adjacent to a stream may physiologically respond to drought. Upon completion of my degree, I hope to pursue a PhD to further immerse myself in environmental research - and ultimately would like to work in environmental management.
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Joseph Zailaa
Thesis: Coordination of stomatal and hydraulic responses to dehydration in California Lilacs (genus Ceanothus) From an early age I’ve had a strong fascination with nature which led me to major in biology during my undergraduate studies. I became more interested in plant sciences through research opportunities and decided to pursue an M.Sc. degree at CalState LA to study plant ecophysiology. My research interests revolve around exploring plant-atmosphere interactions from the cellular to the ecosystem level. More specifically, I am interested in investigating gas exchange and leaf hydraulic processes, how plants interact with their abiotic environment, and the mechanisms underlying drought adaptation. My goal after graduating is to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually obtain a position at a university or research institute. During my time off, I love to skateboard, travel, and explore all that mother nature has to offer. |
Undergraduate Students
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Nicolette Guerrero
Honor's thesis: Leaf morphological variation in Fagus sylvatica growing along a latitudinal gradient in Europe: relationship to growth rate Collaborators: Alfredo DiFilippo (Università della Tuscia, Italy) My name is Nicolette and I am a fourth year biology student. My goal is to become a dermatologist but I am also open to other specialities! What I am fascinated most about plants is their versatility. I first became captivated by them when I travelled to Hawaii and observed how they varied in function and size across different parts of the island. I am interested in how the distribution of weather patterns across different environments can affect plant diversity and growth. On my spare time, I enjoy singing, playing the guitar and harp. |
Christina Herrera
Project: Xylem pit membrane diversity and function across leaf vein orders
Collaborators: Steven Jansen (Ulm University, Germany), Lawren Sack (UCLA)
My interest for Plant Sciences began a few years ago in high school when I took a biology course but what definitely made me be even more interested to gain detailed knowledge about plants was Biology 3600, an integrative organismal biology course. My career goal is to attend medical school to study obstetrics and gynecology. In my spare time I enjoy gardening.
Project: Xylem pit membrane diversity and function across leaf vein orders
Collaborators: Steven Jansen (Ulm University, Germany), Lawren Sack (UCLA)
My interest for Plant Sciences began a few years ago in high school when I took a biology course but what definitely made me be even more interested to gain detailed knowledge about plants was Biology 3600, an integrative organismal biology course. My career goal is to attend medical school to study obstetrics and gynecology. In my spare time I enjoy gardening.
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Freddy Luis
Honor's thesis: Plasticity in leaf anatomy of old European beech trees along a latitudinal gradient Collaborators: Alfredo DiFilippo (Università della Tuscia, Italy) Hello, my name is Freddy Luis and I am a fifth year student at CSULA, majoring in biology and minoring in microbiology. My interest in plants started when I took an integrative organismal course that focused on plant adaptations and plant morphology. Upon graduating I plan to pursue a career in family medicine where I can make an impact with both adults and children. On my free time I enjoy collecting and reading comic books. |
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Brandon Ma
Project: Leaf anatomical variation of old European beech trees Collaborators: Nikki Guerrero, Freddy Luis, Alfredo DiFilippo (Università della Tuscia, Italy) I am a fourth-year undergraduate student at Cal State LA majoring in Biology with a minor in Forensic Science. I have always loved going outside and nature, but I never thought of plants as anything special. It was only until taking my biology classes that I realized how resilient and adaptive plants can be. I believe that we should strive to be like them in those regards. After graduation, I will pursue a Master’s in Criminalistics to further my goal of working in Forensics. When I’m not busy studying plants, I enjoy going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, and learning new things. |
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Monserrat Orozco
Project: Recovery of xylem embolism after rehydration Collaborators: Lawren Sack (UCLA), Caetano Alburquerque (UC DAVIS), Andrew McElrone (UC DAVIS), Craig Brodersen (YALE) My name is Monserrat Orozco and I am a 5th year student majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Criminal Justice. My interest for plants originated from observing my father working with plants as a field and landscape worker. My father provided me a great quality of knowledge about plants. It is interesting how different types of plants adapt to their environment and have unique traits for survival. Upon graduation, I would like to obtain a Ph.D in Neuroscience focusing on drug addiction to understand self-regulation and substance abuse to reduce drug use with the development of novel pharmacotherapies and behavioral modification. In addition, I would like to get involved in policy making in the field of neuroscience. On my free time, I like to give back to my community by volunteering in different organizations, hiking, gardening, and trying new restaurants. |
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Mahsa May Pakzad
Project: Leaf anatomical variation of old European beech trees Collaborators: Nikki Guerrero, Freddy Luis, Alfredo DiFilippo (Università della Tuscia, Italy) Hi there. My name is Mahsa May Pakzad and I am a graduating Biological Science major and an Anthropology minor, with a future focus in neurophysiology. My love of botany originated from an explorative school field trip to the Japanese Gardens at the age of 9 and has been holding strong to this day. I have a self-proclaimed green thumb and love getting my hands dirty, growing everything from fruiting trees and vegetables to flowering plants. I have always been impressed with plant physiology and the multitude of benefits society has gained from researching them. I am thrilled to be part of a research team focused on plant evolution, physiology and ecology and am confident that my research skills at the Scoffoni Lab will benefit Los Angeles ecology in the future. |
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Heidi Sam
Project: Contrasting physiological strategies to drought and salt stress in Asian and African rice Collaborators: Joseph Zailaa, students of BIOL 4300 (Spring 2020), Rachel Meyer (UCLA) My name is Heidi Sam and I completing my last semester as an undergraduate student. I am interested in plant science because I enjoy eating different types of food and being surrounded by nature. If possible, I'd like to learn more about plants and its effect on agriculture and the ecosystem. After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in forensic science or something in the field of medicine. I value education and believe knowledge is power. In my spare time I enjoy reading, exploring new hiking trails, and I tutor children. |
Lab Alumni
Scoffoni Lab Spring 2018
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Scoffoni Lab Spring 2019
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Undergraduate student lab alumni
Christina Abdoyan (2018-2019)
Rita Artounian (Spring 2019)
Michelle Cerezo (2018)
Jose Cuba (2018-2019)
Madeline Currey Honor's thesis: Bypassing traffic jams: what would leaves do? (2017-2019)
Gurjiwat Dhillon (2017-2019)
Kristen Joiner (2017-2019)
Ileana Lucero (2017-2019)
Felicia Makaya Libifani (Spring 2019)
Sung Min Ha (Spring 2019)
Charlotte Monsour (2017-2018)
Lizbeth Sanchez-Lopez
Annie Thach (Spring 2019)
Pearl Vela (Spring 2019)
Christina Abdoyan (2018-2019)
Rita Artounian (Spring 2019)
Michelle Cerezo (2018)
Jose Cuba (2018-2019)
Madeline Currey Honor's thesis: Bypassing traffic jams: what would leaves do? (2017-2019)
Gurjiwat Dhillon (2017-2019)
Kristen Joiner (2017-2019)
Ileana Lucero (2017-2019)
Felicia Makaya Libifani (Spring 2019)
Sung Min Ha (Spring 2019)
Charlotte Monsour (2017-2018)
Lizbeth Sanchez-Lopez
Annie Thach (Spring 2019)
Pearl Vela (Spring 2019)
Visiting scholars
Emilie Isasa (2018): visiting Master student from ECoFoG lab, French Guyana. Currently doing a PhD in Germany with Bernhard Schuldt (University of Wuerzburg).
Xiang-Wen Fang (2019): visiting Professor from Lanzhou University (China).
Xiang-Wen Fang (2019): visiting Professor from Lanzhou University (China).
