Microbial Communities in the Leaves Around Us

Dr Naupaka Zimmerman

Assistant Professor, University of Kansas

Dr Naupaka Zimmerman is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas (KU). He was previously an Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the MS Biology Program at the University of San Francisco. His research explores microbial ecology, with a focus on the communities of fungi that live inside plant leaves without causing disease, known as endophytes. His work investigates how environmental conditions, host species, and geography influence the diversity and function of these microbes.

Born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, Dr Zimmerman has studied the microbial ecology of native Hawaiian plants, particularly Metrosideros polymorpha. At USF, his lab worked on plant–microbe interactions in urban environments and sustainable agricultural systems, including research across San Francisco and at Star Route Farms in Marin County. He plans to extend that work to agricultural and grassland systems in the midwest in his new role at KU. His team uses fieldwork, microscopy, DNA sequencing, and bioinformatics to understand how plant-associated microbes contribute to ecosystem processes such as decomposition, plant health, and resilience to pathogens.