- Postdoctoral Research Associate
Education
- BS, Horticulture (PUCV)
- MS, Horticulture (UW-Madison)
- PhD, Horticulture (UW-Madison)
Biography
Pedro is originally from Santiago, Chile. At a very young age, he developed an interest in plants—influenced by his father, a horticulturist, and his mother, a landscaper. After finishing high school, Pedro tried playing professional soccer in a Chilean second-division team (Union San Felipe) but was unsuccessful in making it to the final team. Still, he enrolled in the Horticulture program at PUCV in Valparaiso where he earned his BS with a professional specialization in fruit crop production. After a few years of working in the Chilean fruit export industry, he decided to do what he was passionate about and took a shift in his career.
In 2018, Pedro started a master’s degree in Horticulture at UW-Madison under the guidance of Dr. Atucha working on cranberry fertilization. In 2021, he continued his doctoral studies at UW-Madison focusing his research on cranberry fruit development, cell wall composition, nutrient uptake, and horticultural practices to increase calcium content in the fruit. In Fall 2024, Pedro joins Dr. Wasko DeVetter’s group to work on cold hardiness modeling, cold damage analysis, and horticultural practices to mitigate frost damage in raspberry and blackberry. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, biking, reading books and mangas, playing soccer, and spending family time with his two dogs, Colomba and Arturo.