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Department of Plant and Microbial Biology 
Microbiology Graduate Programs

Dr. Leo W. Parks Lectureship in Microbial Physiology

Dr. Leo W. Parks

History of Dr. Leo W. Parks

Dr. Leo W. Parks, Professor Emeritus, was born in Wetaug, Illinois, and raised in the Chicago area. He received his B.S. with honors from the University of Illinois, Master’s degree from Indiana University, and Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Under the auspices of a National Academy of Sciences Fellowship, he was a post-doctoral research associate in biochemistry at the Argonne National Laboratory. This was interrupted for active duty service in the US Army. After his service, Dr. Parks joined the faculty at Oregon State University (OSU) as an assistant professor and progressed through the ranks to professor. Dr. Parks came to NC State in 1985 as a professor and the head of the Department of Microbiology.

During his career, thirty-two graduate students earned their doctoral degrees under his supervision. His research focused on the biosynthesis of ergosterol in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a target for antifungals. Dr. Parks regularly taught the undergraduate and graduate courses in Microbial Physiology, and he served as Head of the Department of Microbiology from 1985 through 1993. At the commencement ceremony in May 2001, the graduating microbiology undergraduate students presented Dr. Parks with a plaque to recognize his outstanding teaching and to express their gratitude to him. Dr. Leo Parks has since retired, and he currently lives with his wife, Nancy, in Seattle, Washington.

Dr. Leo W. Parks Lectureship in Microbial Physiology

The lecture series was created to honor Dr. Parks in perpetuity for his selfless attitude and many contributions to the NC State community. The Lectureship is made possible by the generous donors who helped establish a permanent endowment in the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., with matching support from the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology (PMB) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at North Carolina State University. Special thanks to Warren Casey and Hosni Hassan for their leadership role in the creation of the endowment.

We extend our gratitude and many thanks to all the generous donors to the endowment, including alumni, family, friends, NCSU and corporations, that make this Lectureship possible.

The next lecture will occur in 2027, with more details forthcoming!

Research Awards

We are pleased to announce the 2026 student recipients of research awards supported by the Dr. Leo W. Parks Lectureship in Microbial Physiology Endowment. The following project proposals are recognized for their scientific merit, with financial awards of up to $1,000 provided to help achieve the described goals. The awardees are:

  • Anuja Pimplapure. PI: Amit Sharma, Identification and characterization of critical HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein glycans involved in viraltransmission.
  • Rachel Simoes. PI: Mallory Choudoir, Evaluating soil microbiome dynamics in compost tea systems
  • Jason Flynn. PI: Nick Buchler,Elucidating the Architecture of a Hybrid Cell Cycle Network in Zoosporic Fungi using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
  • Caitlyn Elliot. PI Imara Perera,Continuing Characterization of Plant-Growth-Promoting Azospirillum for Nutrient Stress Alleviation
  • Yanisa Keck. PI: Lisa Paciulli, Exploring Demodex Mites (Class: Arachnida) on Captive Lemurs (Family: Lemuridae)
  • Rida Tariq. PI: Zhe Lyu, Identifying Genes Required for Syntrophy Between Methanococcus maripaludis and Collinsella aerofaciens using aTransposon Library

Congratulations to all of the award recipients!

  • 2024: Graduate – Samantha Kisthardt, Sivaranjani Palani, Aurora Toennisson
  • 2024: Undergraduate – Rachel Edwards, Daniel Richard, Emily Sontag
  • 2025: Graduate – Nicole Burroughs, Lisa Metzger, Micaela Robson
  • 2025: Undergraduate: Matthew Clayton, Sarah Harvey, Yvette Wittenborn

Past Presenters in the Dr. Leo W. Parks Lectureship in Microbial Physiology

Caroline Ajo-Franklin, Rodolphe Barrangou, Matthew Chapman, Dennis Dean, Patrick Dennis, Mary K. Firestone, Susan S. Golden, Peter Greenberg, Caroline Harwood, Allan Konopka, Derek Lovely, Nicholas Ornston, Manu Prakash, Russell Rodriguez, Gisela Storz, Martin Warren, and many other extraordinary researchers!

Contact Information 

Chris Cammarene-Wessel
North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc.
North Carolina State University
Box 7645
Raleigh, NC  27695

919-515-7678
[email protected]