A world leader in soil microbiology will join the Kansas University faculty as a Foundation Distinguished Professor, KU announced Tuesday.

James Bever, professor of biology at Indiana University, will begin his joint appointment with KU’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Kansas Biological Survey in January 2016.

James Bever

“He is destined to spearhead new discoveries about how soil-bound microbes control above-ground biodiversity and productivity,” Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department chairman Chris Haufler said in a news release. “His research will unquestionably yield major benefits to understanding ecology and agriculture in Kansas and the entire Midwest.” 

Bever’s resume includes more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, nearly $7 million in research funding from various sources, several fellowships and eight years on the advisory board for the Land Institute, based in Salina, according to KU. He was a Bold Aspirations visiting scholar at KU in 2014.

Bever is one of five new Foundation Distinguished Professors KU announced in recent days, joining three who already have begun work at KU. KU plans to hire a total of 12 professors for the initiative.