Monika Fischer joins UBC Forestry as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences and UBC’s Faculty of Science in the Department of Botany. Monika is a mycologist passionate about understanding the biological mechanisms that drive ecological processes. Her research areas include Applied Conservation Science, Ecosystems and Climate Change, and Sustainable Forest Management.
Monika did her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington, where she worked on fungal endophytes. She obtained her PhD at the University of California at Berkeley, studying cell-to-cell communication in fungi. Her recent work examines the impact of forest fires on the soil microbiome and she is developing an experimental system for testing hypotheses about how fire-adapted fungi lay the foundation for post-fire recovery.
Tell us about yourself and your background.
I am a fungal biologist passionate about understanding the biological mechanisms that drive ecological processes. In retrospect, I’ve always been a biologist, but it took me a while to realize and embrace it. I grew up just south of San Francisco, spending summers exploring lakes in Arkansas with my cousins. My first passion was food and I initially pursued a culinary career, ultimately becoming the executive chef of a small catering company in Seattle. To this day I remain passionate about locally-sourced cuisines, but my desire to know a seemingly infinite number of details about every ingredient was my first hint that I should consider a career in science. When I’m not in the lab or the kitchen, I can be found dancing and/or doing something outside (gardening, foraging, hiking, cycling, climbing, skating, paddling, floating, camping, or just enjoying a good sci-fi novel in my hammock.)
What drew you to your work?
As a young working-class adult I cultivated a passion for both gardening and mushroom hunting. My passion for gardening was rooted in the vibrant soil microbiome, and I quickly developed a long list of questions about how fungi support plant growth and what are they doing in the environment? I read everything I could get my hands on about fungal ecology and biology, but my list of unanswered questions only grew longer. I started hanging out with my local Mycological Society to learn from grad students, professors, and other experts. This crystalized two things for me: (1) there are simply a lot of really cool unanswered questions in Kingdom Fungi, and if I need those answers, I’ll have to do the work myself, and (2) the people who are passionate about fungi are a wonderful community of fun-guys (I also adore a good pun)!
What do you hope to achieve through your work at UBC?
I aim to develop a detailed framework for understanding the relationship between fungi and fire. From genes to ecosystems, individual adaptations to community interactions, and what does it all mean in the context of fundamental fungal biology and ecosystem ecology given the current trajectory of climate change? I’m also excited to train the next generation of fungal biologists while building and strengthening the broader mycology community, both on- and off-campus.
What attracted you to UBC and UBC Forestry?
I’ve long admired the fungal and environmental research coming out of UBC. Forestry especially has a really incredible research community representing a broad diversity of approaches and perspectives, that I’m thrilled to now be a part of. My research is inherently interdisciplinary, and I’m excited to collaborate with my new colleagues at UBC. Beyond UBC – British Columbia is an ideal place to study both fungi and fire.
What are you most looking forward to in the Faculty of Forestry?
Doing awesome science with a bunch of rad people in a stunningly gorgeous place! I’m excited to learn from my colleagues and work together as a community so that we may all deepen our understanding of the natural world. My research thus far has been fairly fundamental, so I’m enthusiastic about working with the Forestry community to find avenues where my research could be applied for a direct positive impact.