Noel Michele Holbrook is the Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry at Harvard University, affiliated with the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and the Harvard University Center for the Environment. She directs the Harvard Forest, a Long-Term Ecological Research site. Her work focuses on plant vascular transport mechanisms, particularly the physics and physiology of water and solute movement in plants. Affiliations: Harvard Forest, Harvard University Center for the Environment, Environmental Science & Engineering (affiliate). Research Areas: Plant hydraulics, xylem and phloem transport, wood anatomy, cavitation resistance, and plant ecological adaptations. Her lab investigates how constraints on vascular transport influence ecological and evolutionary processes. Key projects include studying embolism propagation, stomatal mechanics, and the role of vascular networks in plant survival. Recent work involves analyzing conifer needle transfusion tissues and the structural basis of Carlquist’s Law in xylem anatomy. Notable contributions include discoveries about moss vascular function and the impact of environmental factors on plant water dynamics. Her team has also explored crop responses to elevated CO2 and agricultural climate effects. Advising & Grants: Supervises undergraduate researchers (e.g., Nya Nicholson and Addison Harris) and postdoctoral fellows (e.g., Cade Kane). Research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and other institutions. Labs/Teams: Holbrook Lab at Harvard and Harvard Forest, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams in plant biology and ecology.
