Insect Biology Faculty
Learn more about this group by contacting Dr. Shayla Salzman (shayla.salzman@uga.edu) or by visiting the Insect Biology website.
Insects are the most species rich and diverse animals on Earth. They are key components in most ecosystems as predators and prey, as well as essential organisms in herbivory, pollination, parasitism and nutrient cycling. Insects are vectors of many diseases and pests in agriculture, forestry and urban environments. Their small size and short generation times make them excellent model organisms for topics ranging from biomedicine and biotechnology to population biology and ecosystem dynamics.
Batzer, Darold
Darold Batzer Professor Entomology Distinguished Research Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Research interest: Functional and structural genomics, metabolism and enzymology of organisms that grow near 100C. Website
Billmyre, Katie
Katie Billmyre Assistant Professor, Genetics Department Meiotic chromosome biology using Drosophila as a model system. Website
Burke, Gaelen
Gaelen Burke Associate Professor Entomology Functional and evolutionary genomics of microbial associations with insects; virology, symbiosis, immunity Website
Cai, Haini
Haini Cai Associate Professor Cellular Biology; Neuroscience Nuclear and genome organization; Chromatin structure and function; Gene regulation in Drosophila development. Website
Champagne, Don
Don Champagne Associate Professor Entomology Role of arthropod salivary factors in pathogen transmission and immune responses in their vertebrate hosts. Website
Dyer, Kelly
Kelly Dyer Professor Genetics Molecular evolution and evolutionary genetics, in particular genetic conflict, sex chromosome evolution, genetics of adaptation and speciation, and host-parasite interactions. Website
Hunt, Brendan
Brendan Hunt Associate Professor Entomology Behavioral and evolutionary genetics and epigenetics of social insects. Website
McHugh, Joe
Joe McHugh Professor Entomology Evolution, systematics and anatomy of insects. Website
Moore, Patricia
Patricia Moore Professor Entomology The role of developmental mechanisms in sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive strategies in insects. Website
Oliver, Kerry
Kerry Oliver Associate Professor Entomology Ecology and evolution of heritable symbiosis in insects. Website
Paton, Douglas
Douglas Paton Assistant Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases Vector mosquito biology, malaria transmission, and vector/pathogen interactions. Novel interventions for malaria elimination. Website
Peach, Dan
Dan Peach Assistant Professor Infectious Diseases Dr Peach's research interests are in the field of vector ecology, with a focus on behavioral and sensory ecology. He is primarily focused on how arthropod vectors, such as mosquitoes, find and interact with resources such as the hosts they bite, the flowers they nectar-feed from (and pollinate) or …
Ross, Ken
Ken Ross Professor Entomology Population biology, evolutionary genetics, molecular systematics, and comparative genomics of social insects (fire ants) with an emphasis on studies of genetic variation. Website
Salzman, Shayla
Shayla Salzman Assistant Professor, Entomology Multi-modal signaling between plants and insects, evolution and mechanism of inter-species interactions. Techniques include insect behavior, chemical ecology, and phylogenetics. Website
Schulz, Cordula
Cordula Schulz Assistant Professor Cellular Biology Tissue replenishment from stem cells, Drosophila genetics. Website
Shen, Ping
Ping Shen Associate Professor Cellular Biology; Neuroscience Molecular and Cellular Basis of Brain Functions and Development in the Drosophila Model. Website
Stanger-Hall, Kathrin
Kathrin Stanger-Hall Associate Professor Plant Biology; Adjunct Faculty in Entomology and the College of Education Phylogeny and Signal Evolution in Fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae); Science education research. Website
Strand, Mike
Mike Strand Distinguished Research Professor Entomology Molecular and evolutionary biology of insect parasites; virology, immunology, symbiont evolution, reproduction. Website
Vogel, Kevin
Kevin Vogel Assistant Professor Entomology Integrating physiology, genomics, evolution, and microbial symbiosis to understand the biology of insect vectors of disease. Website