28/05/2026
Take 10 Fridays | Featuring Associate Professor Kim Handley
For this week’s , we’re spotlighting Associate Professor Kim Handley from the School of Biological Sciences, whose research explores how microbial communities function and adapt across diverse environments.
1️⃣ Research in 10 words:
Understanding how microbial communities function and adapt to ecological niches.
2️⃣ In everyday terms:
I study how microorganisms such as bacteria acquire, transform and produce compounds in the environment or laboratory.
3️⃣ Day-to-day work:
A lot of my time is spent meeting with research students to discuss progress, challenges and exciting results. I also edit manuscripts and, when time allows, contribute to bioinformatics and genome analysis projects, helping develop workflows and share new approaches with my research group and students.
4️⃣ Favourite part:
Discovering something completely new after months of hard work is incredibly rewarding — especially when the findings are unexpected.
5️⃣ Surprising insight:
I’m continually amazed by the weird and wonderful traits bacteria possess. There is always something new to learn, which is one of the things I love most about this field.
6️⃣ Handling challenges:
Research rarely goes exactly to plan, whether in the field or the laboratory. Sometimes adaptability is key, while other times perseverance leads to the best outcomes. Challenges can be frustrating, but they are also what makes research exciting and meaningful.
7️⃣ New questions:
Working with large genomic datasets often generates new predictions about how microorganisms function and adapt. Recently, one prediction made by a doctoral student in my group was later validated by a Nature paper reinforcing how many exciting questions still remain to be explored.
8️⃣ Impact goal:
I hope my research contributes to a deeper understanding of microbial ecology and supports future discoveries in the field. Seeing others build on our work or hearing that a paper from our group inspired someone else’s research is always rewarding.
9️⃣ Collaboration:
I collaborate with microbiologists and biologists across the University, as well as researchers nationally and internationally. These collaborations bring together diverse expertise and perspectives, particularly in studies involving microbial communities associated with plants, animals and extreme environments like hot springs.
🔟 Advice to younger self:
Get into science earlier, and don’t stress too much about work-life balance. It ebbs and flows — and that’s OK.
Read more: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/science/our-research/take-10-with/take-10-with-biological-sciences/take-10-with-kim-handley.html
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