OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Beverly Law

Professor Emeritus- Global Change Biology and Terrestrial Systems Science, Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society

 

Law CV (pdf)
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Law on ResearchGate

Dr. Beverly Law is Professor of Global Change Biology & Terrestrial Systems Science in the Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, and an Adjunct Professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. She is an American Geophysical Union Fellow and Aldo Leopold Fellow.

Dr. Law’s research focuses on the effects of climate change, fire, and management on ecosystem carbon and water cycling, addressing issues such as vulnerability of forests to drought-related mortality, and ecological implications of human actions intended to minimize drought and fire effects. She is an author or co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications. She and her students and postdocs have contributed to our understanding of the interactions between ecosystems and the atmosphere, and regional analysis of carbon and water cycling and potential vulnerability of forests under future climate.

Dr. Law served as Science Chair of the AmeriFlux network of 100+ land-atmosphere research sites (2000-2011), Chair of the Global Terrestrial Observing System – Terrestrial Carbon Observations (GTOS-TCO), and on the National Research Council committees “Verifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methods to Support International Climate Agreements,” and “Air Quality Management in the U.S.” Currently, she serves on the international advisory board of the European Integrated Carbon Observation System.

Dr. Law has testified before U.S. House and Senate Committees on a variety of issues, such as "Managing forests in response to climate change including for natural resource adaptation and carbon sequestration," and "Monitoring, measurement, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions."

Mentoring: Dr. Law has mentored 7 MS and 7 PhD students, and over 20 post-docs and visiting scientists.

Teaching: Graduate courses include Global Change Ecology: Impacts, Mitigation, and Adaptation; Drought and Heat Effects on Forests; Measuring and Modeling Carbon and Water Dynamics

 Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field, 2019
 Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field, 2018
 Highly Cited Researcher in Cross-Field, 2017

Activities/Awards:

  • American Geophysical Union Fellow (2014)
  • Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow (2004)
  • World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award for publication of the year (2004)
  • OSU Department of Forest Science Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Faculty (2007)
  • Dean’s award for excellence in research (2000)
  • ESI (Essential Science Indicators) most highly cited researcher, ranking among the top 1% most cited in agricultural sciences in the decade 2002-2012
  • ESI (Essential Science Indicators) most highly cited researcher, ranking among the top 1% most cited in agricultural sciences in the decade 1993-2003

 

 

Research Interests:

Ecosystem processes, including carbon and water cycling (e.g. photosynthesis, transpiration by trees and shrubs, autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration) as influenced by climate and disturbance; processes contributing to whole ecosystem CO2 and water vapor exchange measured by the eddy covariance method; remote sensing of canopy structure; modeling ecosystem processes in response to climate and disturbance.

Education:

  • B.S., 1980, Forest Management, University of Florida
  • Ph.D., 1993, Forest Science, Oregon State University

Location:

330 Richardson Hall
Phone Number: (541) 737-6111
Email: