Postdoctoral Research fellow in Plant Functional Ecology, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia
Dr. Shubham Sohanlal Chhajed is a passionate plant ecophysiologist based in Richmond, NSW, Australia. His work delves into the processes that govern the current and future distribution of vegetation, with a specialization in hydraulic and photosynthetic approaches to study plant water and carbon economy. He currently serves as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Plant Functional Ecology at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University.
Profile
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Education 🎓
Dr. Shubham Chhajed completed a PhD in Plant Ecophysiology at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia in 2023, with a thesis titled ‘Stored-water release capacity and plant carbon-water relations,’ supervised by Prof. Ian Wright and Dr. Oscar Perez-Priego. Dr. Chhajed also holds a Master’s degree in Plant Ecophysiology from the University of Georgia, Athens, USA (2018), where the thesis focused on the variation in relative growth rates and physiological trait responses of cultivated sunflower genotypes to different nutrient levels, under Prof. Lisa Donovan’s supervision. Additionally, Dr. Chhajed earned a BS-MS Dual Degree in Science with a CGPA of 9.6/10 from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India in 2018. The academic journey highlights a specialization in plant physiology and ecological interactions.
Experience 💼
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Plant Functional Ecology
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University
2023 – Present
As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, He is focused on research in plant functional ecology. His current work examines plant responses to environmental stressors and their broader ecological implications. This role builds upon his background in plant ecophysiology, allowing him to investigate and address complex interactions between plants and their environments within dynamic ecological systems.
Research Interests 🔬
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Economy: Investigating how plants manage water resources and their carbon dynamics.
Hydraulic and Photosynthetic Traits Coordination: Exploring the relationship between plant hydraulic functions and photosynthetic processes.
Responses of Plants to Environmental Stress: Analyzing how plants adapt to and cope with various environmental stressors.
Awards and Honors 🏆
Macquarie University Vice Chancellor commendation for an outstanding PhD thesis
Khorana Program for Scholars (2015) by Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, Dept. of Biotechnology (Govt. of India), and WINSTEP Forward
3-Minute Thesis winner and Popular Choice for Biological Sciences at Macquarie University (2019, 2020)
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (FEDIC) award 2022
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering Student Service team Award 2019
Publications 📚
Chhajed SS, Wright IJ, Perez-Priego O (2024). Theory and tests for coordination among hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in co-occurring woody species. New Phytologist. Cited by 3 articles. link
Westerband AC, Wright IJ, Eller AS, Cernusak LA, Reich PB, Perez-Priego O, Chhajed SS, … & Lehmann CE (2022). Nitrogen concentration and physical properties are key drivers of woody tissue respiration. Annals of Botany, 129(6), 633-646. Cited by 65 articles. link
Nolan RH, Gauthey A, Losso A, Medlyn BE, Smith R, Chhajed SS, … & Choat B (2021). Hydraulic failure and tree size linked with canopy die-back in eucalypt forest during extreme drought. New Phytologist, 230(4), 1354-1365. Cited by 56 articles. link
Guha A, Chhajed SS, Choudhary S, Sunny R, Jansen S, Barua D (2018). Hydraulic anatomy affects genotypic variation in plant water use and shows differential organ specific plasticity to drought in Sorghum bicolor. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 156, 25-37. Cited by 20 articles. link