Varsha S. Pathare

Being the daughter of a dry-land farmer, I have grown up observing and discussing the plant-climate interactions and their impacts on our lives and our ecosystems. My desire to contribute to the fight against climate change has been the motivation behind my career in plant sciences. So broadly, I am a plant eco-physiologist interested in advancing our understanding about plant-climate interactions and generating new knowledge about how and why diverse plant species and ecosystems vary in their sensitivities to changing climate and environmental stress. Central to my work is the integration of traits and processes associated with CO2-uptake, storage, and water-use across scales of space, time, and biological organization (cellular > leaf > whole plant > ecosystem). I work on diverse plant species (both C3 and C4) from natural and managed ecosystems. I conduct observational, manipulative, and modeling experiments under field and climate-controlled conditions by using a variety of techniques from the fields of plant ecophysiology, stable isotope ecology and biochemistry. I am passionate about basic and applied research, as well as inclusive teaching, mentoring, and service.