Zoe Pierrat

Zoe Pierrat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she leads the Photon Informed Ecology (PIE) Lab. Her research integrates remote sensing and data science to study terrestrial ecosystems under climate change, with emphasis on carbon/water cycles and scaling biological processes from leaf to global levels. She previously held a NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Education

• Ph.D. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California Los Angeles
• M.S. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California Los Angeles
• B.A. Colorado College

Research Focus

Dr. Pierrat's work centers on developing remote sensing techniques to quantify ecosystem fluxes and stresses. Key themes include: proximal sensing for photosynthesis tracking, evapotranspiration modeling, boreal/tundra ecosystem dynamics, and scaling methodologies linking field observations to satellite data. Her lab employs tower-mounted optical systems, machine learning, and multi-scale validation approaches.

Recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate strong focus on boreal forest ecophysiology, solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, and improving satellite-derived evapotranspiration products. Over 80% of her work involves cross-scale integration of ground, airborne, and spaceborne datasets for climate resilience applications.

Awards

• NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship

Lab and Community

The PIE Lab investigates photon-ecosystem interactions through advanced optical sensing. Dr. Pierrat actively recruits graduate students and postdocs, and regularly presents at major conferences (e.g., AGU 2025). Current projects focus on hyperspectral data scaling and climate-smart monitoring systems.