Cletus P. Kurtzman | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 19, 1938 Mansfield, Ohio |
| Died | November 27, 2017 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Ohio University (Bachelors)
Purdue (Masters) West Virginia University (PhD) |
| Known for | Taxonomy of yeasts, Saccromycotina |
| Spouse | Mary Ann Dombrink (deceased) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | fellow of American Academy of Microbiology (1981)
U.S. Federation for Culture Collections/American Society for Microbiology J. Roger Porter Award (1990) Inductee to the ARS Science Hall of Fame (2016) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mycology, Microbiology |
| Institutions | USDA, Peoria, IL |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Kurtzman |
Cletus P. Kurtzman (July 19, 1938 – November 27, 2017) was an American mycologist who is known for his contributions to yeast taxonomy and is regarded as "the father of modern yeast taxonomy"(Boekhout, T 2019).[1] Many of his findings uncovered unknown diversity within this group of fungi. Among his many accomplishments was the early adoption of DNA barcodes for fungal taxonomic identification that has resulted in barcodes for every known ascomycete yeast, providing immeasurable value to field of yeast studies.[1]