Professor Zimmerman's career has spanned academia, government and business. He served as chief economist as well as group vice president at Ford Motor Company, where he was responsible for corporate economics, governmental affairs, environmental and safety engineering and corporate social responsibility. He serves on the National Commission on Energy Policy and also served as a Senior Staff Economist on the President's Council of Economic Advisors. His research is concerned with energy policy, government regulation of business and economic developments in the automotive industry.