Welcome to the website for the Zimmerman Lab at the University of Kansas. Our research focuses on understanding the ecology and evolution of plant-associated microbes, with a special affection for foliar endophytic fungi.
The lab is led by Dr. Naupaka Zimmerman, an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at KU. Over the years the lab group has been made up of many other wonderful folks, including undergraduate researchers, Master’s students, and sometimes even high school students or other visiting researchers.
We use a range of approaches in our research on plant-associated microbial communities. We often start with field work locally in Kansas or at NEON Field Sites across the country. After culturing and isolating microbes, we use manipulative greenhouse and growth-chamber studies, culture- and molecular-based lab work, bright field and electron microscopy, and finally a good amount of computational and bioinformatic analyses to probe microbial community composition and function.
Information about joining the lab is available here. Note that while KU Environmental Studies does not have any PhD programs, graduate admission may be possible through the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program.