Joshua Kerkaert
Josh’s interest in fungal biology started while earning a BS in Microbiology at the University of Minnesota where he did research on the human fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Blastomyces dermatitidis in the Nielsen lab at the University of Minnesota. Josh went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Dartmouth College where he worked with the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus investigating the relationship between metabolism and emergent properties of fungal biofilms, namely antifungal drug resistance. In the Huberman lab Josh is excited to dive further into how cosmopolitan fungi regulate their metabolism to thrive in highly diverse niches, ranging from saprophytic environments, like leaf litter and compost piles, to infections of plants and humans. To accomplish this, he is also eager to develop genomic toolsets in filamentous fungi. Outside of lab Josh enjoys a good board game night, hiking in the woods, going climbing, and playing hockey.
Title: CIHMID Postdoctoral Fellow
Department: Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Roles: Faculty
Research Areas: Disease Ecology and Evolution, Fungi, Genetics, Genomics and Cell Biology of Infection, Plant Hosts