As part of the 2026 Summer Lecture Series at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS), Dr. Bala Chaudhary will give the Bennett Lecture in Mycology and Plant Biology. The free, public talk is titled, “Continent-Scale Aerial Dispersal of Fungi.”

Chaudhary is an associate professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College who studies mycorrhizas (plant-fungal symbioses), macroecology (continent-scale ecology), and movement (microbial dispersal).

Dispersal is a fundamental ecological process driving the abundance and distribution of species from local to global scales.

Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the mechanisms of fungal dispersal, especially for species that live entirely belowground.

Chaudhary describes the results of multiple complimentary studies that combine macrosystems biology, trait-based ecology, eDNA metabarcoding, and data synthesis approaches to address fundamental questions in fungal dispersal ecology.

She also shares new methods her lab is developing to apply AI and data synthesis to make inferences about the ecology and evolution of fungi.

Chaudhary earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and her M.S. and Ph.D. from Northern Arizona University, previously holding faculty appointments at DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago.

In her lab, she uses trait-based approaches to develop predictive frameworks for microbial dispersal, community assembly and biogeography, and employs complementary approaches of macroecological field work, controlled lab experiments and data synthesis to study multi-scale questions in ecology.

Chaudhary is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award and advises on continent-scale biology for the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

Prior to academia, Chaudhary worked as an environmental consultant in Los Angeles restoring drastically disturbed urban areas to create habitat for endangered species.

She is an award-winning advocate for antiracist strategies in STEM and the founder of WOCinEEB, an international organization for racial and gender minorities in ecology and evolutionary biology.

The University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.

Founded in 1909, UMBS supports long-term research and education through immersive, field-based courses and features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for data collection and analysis to help any field researcher be productive. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.

The Summer Lecture Series is a tradition at UMBS, where we explore scientific topics with distinguished guest speakers from across the country so the community can learn about our natural world.

The free, public talks are on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the spring and summer in Gates Lecture Hall at the University of Michigan Biological Station, located at 9133 Biological Rd. in Pellston, Michigan — about 20 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge.