Kirk Czymmek

Kirk Czymmek is the director of the Danforth Center Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory. Growing up on a farm in upstate New York, Kirk was inspired by science and his family's crops, which included alfalfa, timothy, and high-quality hay for racehorses. Kirk is an internationally renowned expert in bioimaging with over 30 years of experience and more than 100 publications. He discovered a new imaging approach to follow subcellular calcium signaling in filamentous fungi, a world-first achievement. His research today focuses on small microbes that cause disease in both humans and plants. Kirk is dedicated to his role at the Danforth Center, partnering with numerous colleagues to help advance their research. The Advanced Bioimaging Lab is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including generation 9 confocal microscopes that allow researchers to look inside thick tissues and make revealing 3D perspectives. The facility is adding new technology all the time, such as the recent addition of a highly automated 3D macro microscope that enables high-throughput live plant microscopy studies. Kirk's ultimate goal is to have the world's best imaging capacity for plant research and become a center of collaboration far beyond the Danforth Center. Kirk's work is driven by his passion for contributing to humanity's benefit. As the world's warming continues, plants are likely to be more stressed and vulnerable. Under higher humidity and warmer environmental conditions, fungi and other pathogens will thrive, and diseases once limited to the tropics will continue to spread. The Danforth Center's researchers are working to develop disease resistance in important plants, figuring out how to grow more food in challenging conditions. Advanced bioimaging is a crucial tool in these efforts, and Kirk's work is vital to achieving this mission.