Portman Lab

Portman Lab (page archive)

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Integrative Biology at the University of California Berkeley

About the Lab

At Portman Lab, we’re focused on deepening our understanding of ecosystem interdependence and resilience. What relationships sustain ecosystems, even as climate conditions are rapidly changing? We work with a blend of innovative technologies and have field sites across the greater Bay Area.

Join the Lab

If you are interested in joining the lab, please reach out – I’d love to hear from you.

For Graduate Students

I encourage graduate students in the lab to craft a research agenda that supports their strengths, curiosities, and long-term goals. For some, this means working closely on my major projects; for others, this may mean starting out with an aligned but independent research question. After decades of research work, I am still a believer in the importance of stupidity to scientific discovery.

My current work is largely focused on the complexity of ecosystem causality. It’s Yellowstone: when they reintroduced wolves in the early part of the century, the wolves kept the bison moving, which helped stabilize the soil, which brought back willow and aspen groves, and with the trees came birds and beavers. All that, thanks to the wolves. No one knew enormity of the Yellowstone wolves’ role until it was playing out in front of them. I’m interested in graduate-level projects looking for the “wolves” in other ecosystems.

For Undergraduates

We offer several work-study positions during the fall/spring semesters. See the Work-Study website for more details.

During summer term, we hire a number of research assistants to support our field work. The hours are inconsistent, the results uncertain, but the science is always interesting! Applications open in January. We prioritize students with little-to-no research experience and those who are first-generation college students.

Lab News, Updates, and Items of Interest