Our Team

GIULIA MARINO

GIULIA MARINO Ass. Professor of Cooperative Extension in Orchard Systems

Giulia is an Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension at the Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis. Her research and extension focus on using physiological information to develop management practices that would improve efficiency of resource use and profitability of orchard systems. 

Dr. Marino completed her PhD at the University of Palermo, Italy, where she studied the physiology of alternate bearing in Pistacia vera L.. Her first post doc experience, in Italy, focused on proximate sensing and plant-based cultivar-specific water management in olive. She also worked on autochthonous germplasm conservation and agronomic characterization. In 2016 she started a post doc at the University of California (Davis) aiming to understand pistachio water use dynamics under saline-sodic stresses.

EMILY SANTOS

EMILY SANTOS Assistant Specialist (University of California, Davis)

Emily began working for the Marino Lab in 2020 and has been helping to manage the Davis lab and Northern California projects. She graduated from Humboldt State University in 2020 with a MS in Environmental Systems (Geology Focus) where she studied forest hydrology in coastal Ecuador. Emily received her BS in Geology and Geologic Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island (2016) where she also completed a Graduate Certificate in Hydrology (2017).

DANIEL RUIZ

DANIEL RUIZ Masters Student (Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center)

Daniel began working in the Marino in early 2022 and has been helping manage the Kearney lab in Parlier, CA. He is involved with many Marino projects investigating physiology aspects in crops such as, Almond, Pistachio and Cherry. Daniel received his BS degree in Plant Science (Plant Health option) from California State University, Fresno (2021). He is currently attending California State University, Fresno, to earn his MS degree in Plant Science with a focus in tree physiology.

TAYLOR SYNSTELIEN

TAYLOR SYNSTELIEN Undergraduate Student Researcher (University of California, Davis)

Taylor is an Environmental Horticulture and Urban Forestry major and is interested in plant physiology, agroecology along with ethnobotany. He started working at the Marino lab in spring of 2022 after transferring Long Beach Community College to UC Davis in fall of 2021.

AILEEN SALAS

AILEEN SALAS Undergraduate Student Lab Assistance (Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center)

As a student intern at CSU Fresno, Aileen Salas began working for the Marino Lab with the Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension in May 2022. She assists in many of Marino's projects, such as creating a GIS database for farm management and exploring the physiological aspects of olives, almonds, and pistachios. She received her AS in Plant Science at Reedley College and plans to graduate from Fresno State in December 2023 with a BS in Agricultural Plant Sciences.

DONALD WILLIAMS III

DONALD WILLIAMS III Undergraduate Student Researcher (Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center)

Donald Williams was born and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley. He has been with Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension since June of 2022, where he has been working as a student intern from CSU Fresno. He plans to graduate from Fresno State in December 2022 with a BS in Agricultural Plant Sciences. After being awarded "Plant Science Outstanding Student" for 2017-2018. in 2020, Donald completed a Skill Certificate and received his AS in Agricultural Plant Sciences from the College of the Sequoias.

JARIN TASNIM ANIKA

JARIN TASNIM ANIKA Ph.D. Student (University of California, Davis)

Jarin is a Ph.D. student co-supervised by Dr. Kosana Suvocarev and Dr. Giulia Marino. She received her BS degree in Soil, Water and Environment (2018) and MS degree in Environmental Science (2021) from the Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is currently working on eddy covariance, deficit irrigation, and crop water use of perennial crops.