Julie Pett-Ridge

Julie Pett-Ridge is a Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Oregon State University and serves as Assistant Dean for Graduate Education and Research in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Her research integrates geochemical, hydrological, and biogeochemical approaches to study Critical Zone processes, with a focus on nutrient cycling, isotope tracers, and the interplay between ecosystems and bedrock weathering.

• Ph.D. in Isotope Geochemistry and Biogeochemistry, Cornell University (2007)
• A.B. in Environmental Earth Science, Dartmouth College (1997)

Her work examines how nitrogen-fixing trees access rock-derived nutrients, the role of bedrock in forest sustainability, and the behavior of trace metals and isotopes during weathering. She employs radiogenic isotopes (e.g., Mo, Re) and trace element analysis to investigate nutrient sources and cycling across diverse landscapes, including tropical Puerto Rico and Pacific Northwest forests.

Julie’s recent publications highlight nutrient feedbacks in forests, rhenium and molybdenum cycling, and the impact of logging and nitrogen enrichment on mineral availability. She has mentored students and postdoctoral researchers on topics like georespiration, organic carbon characterization, and redox-controlled metal mobilization.

• Natural Environment Research Council Research Fellow (University of Oxford, 2007-2009)

Julie collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and has secured grants such as NSF EAR 1758463 for 10Be data collection and NSF GRFP GRIP funding for graduate research on Mo isotopes and nutrient cycling.