It is with great joy that we announce the successful completion of Janisse’s doctoral thesis on March 27.
These have been years filled with hard work, discovery, and adventure. We will never forget your tireless curiosity and your meticulous pursuit of concrete results.
Thank you, Janisse, for your work at PERL; we wish you all the best for your future!
We are thrilled to welcome two new members to the PERL team: Beatriz, joining us as a new PhD student, and Jérôme, joining us as a new technician. We are excited to have them on board and look forward to all that we will accomplish together!
Meet Beatriz
Beatriz joins us from Brazil, bringing with her a Master’s degree in Biology with a specialization in Ecophysiology from the University of São Paulo (USP).
During her master’s research, she investigated stomatal conductance responses to increasing vapor pressure deficit (VPD) under elevated temperature conditions within a Temperature Free-Air Controlled Enhancement (T-FACE) experiment. This setup allowed her to study plant responses to simulated climate warming under realistic field conditions. She focused on how stomatal conductance responds to increasing VPD, accounting for soil moisture variability. In addition, she examined leaf-level photosynthetic dynamics, above- and below-ground productivity, and stomatal anatomical traits in relation to elevated temperature (+2 °C) and inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria.
Her research interests focus on tree ecophysiology, particularly how VPD and temperature influence plant physiological functioning, acclimation capacity, and ecosystem productivity. During her PhD at EPFL, she will investigate how VPD thresholds affect plant function by combining physiological measurements to better understand plant responses to atmospheric drought.
Beatriz is very excited to join the ERC-funded COOL project and contribute to advancing our understanding of how VPD and temperature shape forest functioning.
Meet Jérôme
After graduating from EPFL, Jérôme began his career as a Scientific Assistant at the Power Electronics Laboratory (PEL) at EPFL, where he supported research, course development, and technician activities.
He then joined CERN for three years as a Power Electronics Engineer, where he developed high-current, high-precision power converters, covering the full pipeline from R&D and design through to manufacturing and contract follow-up.
Freshly arrived at PERL, Jérôme will initially focus on the development, creation, and installation of camera and branch heater systems across the different EU field sites. In a second phase, he will lead the development and construction of a new testing site in Spain, encompassing solar panels, an energy storage unit, automated sensor measurements, and data transfer to WSL servers.
Please join us in giving Beatriz and Jérôme a warm welcome to the PERL team!