Elliott Parivar

Dr. Elliott Parivar, Ph.D., graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with BS degree in Plant and Soil Science and a minor in biology.  He then pursued a Master’s program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, conducting research on endogenous plant hormones and exogenous growth regulators. Finally, he joined a research team in the Department of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and obtained his Ph.D. degree, specializing in postharvest physiology of horticultural commodities and the role of plant hormones and growth regulators.  While a graduate student at both latter universities, Dr. Parivar served as a TA in several courses involving landscape design and plant material, indoor plant identification and culture and Interior landscaping, annuals and perennials, floricultural crops, and vegetable gardening, all of which sparked his interest in becoming a career educator. After obtaining his doctorate degree, he served as a consultant for two years in a major interior landscaping company in Southern California before accepting a full-time position as a science teacher at Harvard-Westlake school, teaching physical science and chemistry. In the meantime, he also taught evening classes at Los Angeles Pierce College: Principles of Horticulture, Botany for Horticulture, and Indoor Plant Care and Maintenance.