Kristin Yoshimura

Kristin Yoshimura is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at James Madison University since 2022. She holds a PhD in Marine Studies from the University of Delaware (Newark, DE) and a BA in Marine Science from Boston University (2014). Her research focuses on microbial ecology in marine and freshwater environments, emphasizing the roles of microbes in global biogeochemical cycles and their responses to environmental changes. She employs 'omics approaches, culturing, and physiological experiments to study viruses, bacteria, archaea, and microbial eukaryotes.

Key research themes include viral impacts on algal communities under climate change, microbial community dynamics in hydrocarbon-impacted sediments, and metagenome-informed culturing strategies for uncultured microbes. Her lab, the Yoshimura Lab, explores microbial physiology, genomics, and ecology to address pressing environmental questions. Notable collaborations and institutional engagements include work with the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

Education history includes advanced training in marine science and interdisciplinary approaches to microbial systems. Teaching responsibilities include BIO 245L, and she maintains an active research program with ongoing projects in estuaries, oceans, and meromictic lakes like Glacier Lake in New York. Her work bridges fundamental microbial biology with applied challenges in environmental science and climate adaptation.