Rate My Professor Janet Pitman

Pitman's research centers on the factors regulating oocyte maturation in mammals, with a particular emphasis on characterizing the follicular microenvironment that enables oocytes to develop into viable offspring following fertilization. Her earlier work explored endocrine regulation of reproduction in the brushtail possum, molecular influences of the brain on mammalian reproduction, and prolactin's role in possum reproduction, including identification of potential biocontrol targets. She develops diagnostic tests to improve in vitro fertilization success in women and detect aneuploidy in embryos, and her studies address oocyte quality and fertility in New Zealand dairy cows. Pitman has secured funding from the Marsden Fund for collaborative research projects. Notable publications include 'The follicular microenvironment in low (++ ) and high (I+B+) responder Jersey heifers' (Reproduction, 2020), 'The ovarian follicle of ruminants: The path from conceptus to adult' (Reproduction, 2021, co-authored), and 'The Validation of a Precursor Lesion of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer in Fancd2-KO Mice' (Biology, 2023). She coordinates and teaches courses such as BTEC301 Biotechnological Techniques and Processes and BTEC201 Molecular Biotechnology.