Jennifer Pett-Ridge

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Jennifer Pett-Ridge
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
Yale University
Yale School of the Environment
Scientific career
Institutions Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
University of California, Merced
Thesis Rapidly fluctuating redox regimes frame the ecology of microbial communities and their biogeochemical function in a humid tropical soil  (2005)

Jennifer Pett-Ridge is an American biologist who is a senior staff scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. She also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of California, Merced. Her research makes use of systems biology and geochemistry to uncover function in microbial communities. She was awarded a 2021 United States Department of Energy Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award.

Contents

Early life and education

Pett-Ridge studied biology at Yale University. [1] She moved to the Yale School of the Environment for graduate studies, and specialized in forest science. She worked as a forest service technician at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. [1] After earning her master's degree, Pett-Ridge joined the University of California, Berkeley for her doctoral research. Her research considered how fluctuating redox regimes impact the ecology of microbial communities. [2] She was appointed a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and vice chair of soil ecology at the Ecological Society of America. [3]

Research and career

Pett-Ridge served as lead scientist for the science focus area on Genomic Science. [3] In 2018, Pett-Ridge was appointed lead of the soil microbiome focus area, in which she oversees the LLML Carbon Uptake pillar of the Carbon Initiative. [4] [5] Pett-Ridge has worked in microbial ecology in an effort to understand and predict future climates. [6] She developed isotopic tools (typically C and N isotope composition) and imaging to quantify how climate influences the health of soil, microorganisms and plants. [7] She was supported by a United States Department of Energy Early Career award to investigate how soil microbial communities responded to climate change. In particular, she developed nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry.[ citation needed ]

Pett-Ridge has investigated whether it is possible to sequester carbon dioxide using plants like switchgrass. [6] The roots of switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) can extend 50 feet down, which can contribute to carbon sequestration by locking carbon deep into ground. [8]

In 2020, Pett-Ridge was appointed lead for Sustainability in the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI). [1]

Awards and honors

Select publications

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