Jason West

Jason West is a Professor at Texas A&M University, affiliated with the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. He earned his B.S. in Range Science from Utah State University and a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Georgia. His research focuses on plant physiological ecology and ecosystem ecology, particularly the roles of vegetation in water, carbon, and nitrogen cycling, with emphasis on subterranean tissues and global change impacts.

Dr. West’s expertise includes stable isotope analysis to study ecological processes, such as water cycling and scaling-up mechanistic insights to large spatial scales. His work addresses consequences of climate change, land-use decisions, and biodiversity on ecosystems. He has held prior positions at the University of Minnesota and University of Utah, contributing to research on forest decomposition, nutrient cycling, and invasive species like Arundo donax.

His lab (West Lab Group) develops tools like the RAIN platform for precipitation data visualization and explores ecohydrological patterns in diverse ecosystems, including tropical dry forests and semi-arid savannas. Current projects emphasize plant-water relations, drought responses, and forensic applications of isotopic signatures.