Suzanne Simard

Suzanne Simard, professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences in Vancouver, Canada, is known for her research on underground networks of forests, which are characterized by webs of fungi and roots that facilitate communication and interaction between trees and plants of an ecosystem. This hidden communication involves rapid exchange of carbon, water, nutrients and defense signals between trees. 

Other areas of her research include resilience of forests to human and natural disturbances and global change. She is leader of TerreWEB at UBC, a graduate training program dedicated to training graduate students and Post Doctoral Fellows in global change science and its communication.