Department of Entomology
  • About
    • At a Glance
    • Welcome
    • Code of Conduct
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion >
      • DEI Working Group
      • Resources
    • Departmental History
    • For Alumni
    • Support Entomology >
      • Steinhauer Scholarship Fund
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  • News
    • News
    • Seminar Blog
    • Seminar Schedule
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  • People
    • Faculty
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  • Academics
    • Graduate >
      • Admissions
      • MS Degree Requirements
      • PhD Degree Requirements
      • Graduate Student Resources
      • Forms for Grad Students
      • Financial Assistance
      • Award & Funding Opportunities
      • Entomology Student Organization
    • Online Masters in Applied Entomology
    • Undergraduate >
      • Entomology Minor
      • Honors Program
  • Research
    • IPM & Biological Control of Agricultural, Urban & Forest Pests
    • Ecology, Conservation, Restoration, Climate Change >
      • Pollinator Science and Apiculture
    • Evolution, Systematics and Evo-Devo
    • Genetics & Genomics and Medical Entomology
  • Extension/Outreach
    • Educational Outreach
    • Insect Camp
    • Insect Drawings
    • Insect Identification
    • Pesticide Education and Assessment Program
    • Plant Diagnostic Laboratory (PDL)

Faculty


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Karin Burghardt ​(she/her), Associate Professor
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Office: 4120A Plant Sciences Building
​Phone: 301-405-8972
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: Dr. Burghardt is an ecologist broadly interested in how plant defenses shape communities and ecosystems. Her research addresses this question through the lens of multiple trophic levels (plants, insects, birds, and microbes). New work will extend this understanding to fluxes and flows of nutrients.

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Evan Economo, Gahan Professor & Department Chair

​Office: 4108 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-1913
E-mail: [email protected]​

​Research: The Economo lab aims to understand how ecological and evolutionary processes interact to regulate biodiversity across spatiotemporal scales.  We integrate a variety of approaches in our work including quantitative theory, phylogenetics, high-performance computing, ecoinformatics, 3D imaging and modeling, field sampling, and systematics.

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Anahí Espíndola, Associate Professor
​
Office: 3138 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3920
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: The EspindoLab focuses on the effect of the biotic and abiotic environment on individual species, species communities, and inter-species interactions (with a slight preference for pollination) using molecular, geospatial, ecological, and experimental approaches.

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Megan Fritz, Associate Professor
​
Office: 3126 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3945
E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: The Fritz lab focuses on the study of insect evolution in response to a constantly changing environment. The lab uses molecular, genomic, and computational tools to shed light on the genomic variants that facilitate adaptation.  

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Ana Cristina Fulladolsa, Director of the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory

Office: 3134 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-1611
E-mail: 
[email protected]

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Chloe Garfinkel ​(she/her), Lecturer 

Office: 3142 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3912
E-mail: [email protected] 

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Daniel Gruner, Professor & Director of Graduate Studies
​
Office: 4142 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 
301-405-3957
E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: The Gruner Lab investigates species interactions in food webs, the maintenance of biodiversity in ecological communities, community feedbacks with ecosystem function, and the impacts of global change. The group investigates arthropod and plant community dynamics in a range of systems using field and lab studies, diverse integrative tools, and quantitative statistical modeling.

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Kelly Hamby (she/her), Associate Professor & Extension Specialist
​
Office: 3124 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-314-1068
E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: ​The Hamby Lab works to understand insect interactions with free-living microorganisms, address invasive and emerging insect pest issues, evaluate and optimize pest management programs, develop sustainable alternative management tactics, and improve integrated pest management in small fruit and grain crops.

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David Hawthorne, Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies & Director of Education at SESYNC
​
Office: 4132 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 
301-405-2401
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: ​The Hawthorne Lab uses population genetics to understand how insects become pests, how they evolve to counter control efforts, and how to use evolutionary thinking to manage them. Additionally, research in the Hawthorne Lab dissects the genetic basis of host-plant associated divides among pest populations and uses phylogeographic analyses to investigate issues in conservation genetics. 

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Cerruti Hooks, Professor & Extension Specialist
​
Office: 4144 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-4728
E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: The Hooks Lab uses a multi-disciplinary research approach to provide producers information needed to transition farm acreage to more sustainable habitats, teach small farmers ecologically based practices that allow them to effectively manage pests in their crops, and provide producers with information that gives them greater confidence in transitioning land to organic production.​

 Krishnan, Niranjana
Niranjana Krishnan (she/her), Assistant Professor

Office: 3140 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3928
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: The Krishnan Lab focuses on estimating the risks of pesticide exposures on insects, particularly species of conservation concern. The lab evaluates the toxicity and risk of pesticides at different levels of biological organization (molecular to organismal/population-level) and undertakes interspecies extrapolation.

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William Lamp, Professor

Office: 4138 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3959
E-mail: ​
[email protected]

Research: The Lamp Lab studies the ecology of insects in the human environment, with projects aligning with three broad fields: integrated pest management (IPM) of forage crops, understanding ecology of emerging insect pests, and implications of IPM and land use on invertebrates in streams and wetlands. ​

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Jessie Mutz, Lecturer 

Office: 3146 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3921
​Email:  [email protected] 

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Maile Neel, Professor

Office: 6117 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-9780
E-mail: ​
[email protected]

Research: ​The Neel Lab applies and integrates techniques from traditionally disparate fields to  study patterns of biological diversity and the ecological and evolutionary processes that created them. The lab also develops effective conservation approaches to predict the effects of changing ecological patterns and evolutionary processes.

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Margaret Palmer, Distinguished University Professor & Director at SESYNC

Office: 4126 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3795
E-mail: ​
[email protected]

Research: Research and engagement in the Palmer Lab focuses on the sustainability of natural systems and the development of solutions to difficult problems at the interface of humans and the environment including: restoring the processes that support healthy aquatic ecosystems; understanding how hydrologic flows and linkages influence the flux and fate of carbon in wetlands; and accelerating actionable research by inter- and trans-disciplinary teams. 

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Leslie Pick (she/her), Professor & Associate Dean for Graduate Education

Office: 3104 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3914
​E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: The Pick lab studies the function and evolution of regulatory genes that control embryonic development. The lab is currently focused on ‘evo-devo’ studies that compare gene expression and function in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster to other insect species, revealing unexpected levels of genetic variation across insect phyla. The development of molecular methods in diverse insects, including mosquitoes, beetles and milkweed bugs, has led the lab to begin exploring mechanisms underlying RNAi susceptibility in insects.

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Leo Shapiro, Senior Lecturer &  Director of the Master's of Professional Studies in Applied Entomology
​
Office: 3132 Plant Sciences Building​
​Phone: 301-405-3922
E-mail: [email protected]

​Research: Ecology, evolution, and conservation biology.
E-mail Dr. Shapiro directly to schedule an advising appointment.

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Paula Shrewsbury, Professor & Extension Specialist

Office: 3156 Plant Sciences Building​
Phone: 301-405-7664
​E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: ​The overall focus of the Shrewsbury Lab is to identify methods to restore plant and insect community dynamics to create sustainable urban landscapes, nurseries, and turf systems, with an emphasis on biological control and conservation of natural enemies and pollinators. The lab also studies the ecology and management of invasive species in managed environments.​

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Jeffrey Shultz, Associate Professor 

Office: 4134 Plant Sciences Building​
​Phone: 301-405-7519
​E-mail: 
[email protected]

Research: Research in the Shultz Lab deals with the evolutionary morphology, biomechanics, behavior, and systematics of arachnids and other arthropods. Ongoing work focuses on the leiobunine harvestmen (daddy longlegs) of eastern North America, though recent studies have also addressed hydrodynamics of gill ventilation in mayfly nymphs, arachnid locomotion, arthropod molecular systematics, and comparative anatomy of scorpions.

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Raymond St. Leger, Distinguished University Professor

Office: 3120 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-5402
​E-mail: [email protected]

Research: The St. Leger Lab uses entomopathogenic fungi as models for understanding how pathogens in general evolve different host ranges, respond to changing environments, invade hosts and counter host immune responses. The lab has also engineered hypervirulent insect pathogens expressing spider toxins. The potential of these engineered pathogens to control mosquito vectors of malaria is being tested in the field. Other interests include mutualistic associations between microbes and plants that can be exploited to benefit agriculture.

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Dennis vanEngelsdorp​, Professor

Office: 3158 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3942
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: The vanEngelsdorp Lab uses an epidemiological approach to understand and improve pollinator health, which involves understanding the etiology of individual diseases and large scale monitoring. 

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Sara Via, Professor & Extension Specialist

Office: 3149 Plant Sciences
Phone: 301-405-3940
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: Dr. Via is currently focused on climate change outreach and extension. Previous work in the Via Lab dealt with the genetics of insect-plant interactions, the genetic architecture of local adaptation and host plant specialization in pea aphids, and evolutionary genetics of speciation. 

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Jian Wang, Associate Professor

Office: 3144 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-7892

E-mail: [email protected]

Research: The Wang Lab uses fruit flies as a model to understand molecular mechanisms that guide the formation of the nervous system, specifically the function and signaling pathways of Drosophila Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule (Dscam) and genome-wide screens for genes underlying different aspects of neuronal development.

Affiliate Faculty


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Alan Leslie, Center Director, Central Maryland Research and Education Center​
Phone: 301-276-1241
E-mail: [email protected]



Professor Emeritus/a & Retired Professors


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Earlene Armstrong, Associate Professor Emerita

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Pedro Barbosa, Professor Emeritus

Office: 3136  Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3946
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: Agricultural Pest Management; Ecology/Biological Control

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Amy Brown, Professor Emerita
Research: Translational research in pesticide toxicology, epidemiology, and policy.

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Galen Dively, Professor Emeritus & IPM Consultant

Office: 3130 Plant Sciences Building​
​Phone: 301-405-7524
​E-mail: 
[email protected]

​Research: Agricultural Pest Management; Ecology/Biological Control; Insect Pathology; Molecular Biology, Physiology, Toxicology, and Molecular Genetics; Pesticide Technology, Assessment, and Policy

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Bretton Kent, Principal Lecturer​ Emeritus

Office: 3142 Plant Sciences Building
Phone: 301-405-3125

E-mail: [email protected]

Research: Elasmobranch (shark and ray) faunas of the Neogene, their diversification during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, and the role that giant sharks have played in determining their structure. ​

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James Linduska, Professor Emeritus

Research: Agricultural Pest Management

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Judd Nelson, Professor Emeritus

Office: 3116
 Plant Sciences Building​
Phone: 301-405-3941
E-mail: [email protected]
​
Research: Molecular Biology, Physiology, Toxicology, and Molecular Genetics; Pesticide Technology, Assessment, and Policy

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David O'Brochta, Professor Emeritus

Office: UMD Shady Grove Campus
Phone: 240-314-6343
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: ​Molecular Biology, Physiology, Toxicology, and Molecular Genetics​.

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Michael Raupp, Professor Emeritus

Office: ​3152 Plant Sciences Building​
Phone: 301-405-8478
E-mail: [email protected]

Research: The Raupp Lab investigates mechanisms of host plant resistance, the ecology and behavior of herbivores and their predators, parasitoids, and pathogens, and the impact of landscape design on pest and natural enemy population dynamics. Dr. Raupp's extension program seeks to develop and implement integrated pest management (IPM) programs for landscape, nursery and greenhouse systems.
​
​Check out Dr. Raupps's Bug of the Week website!

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Barbara Thorne, Professor Emerita

Office: 3146 Plant Sciences Building

E-mail: [email protected]
​
Research: Ecology/Biological Control; Evolutionary Biology; Pesticide Technology, Assessment, and Policy; Systematics/Morphology; Urban, Structural, and Green Industries Pest Management

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Department of Entomology 
University of Maryland 
4112 Plant Sciences Building 
College Park, MD 20742-4454
USA

Telephone: 301.405.3911 
Fax: 301.314.9290
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Web Accessibility
  • About
    • At a Glance
    • Welcome
    • Code of Conduct
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion >
      • DEI Working Group
      • Resources
    • Departmental History
    • For Alumni
    • Support Entomology >
      • Steinhauer Scholarship Fund
    • Contact >
      • Directions
  • News
    • News
    • Seminar Blog
    • Seminar Schedule
    • Awards
  • People
    • Faculty
    • Post Docs
    • Students
    • Staff
    • Alumni
    • For PI/Faculty
    • Proposal Resources
  • Academics
    • Graduate >
      • Admissions
      • MS Degree Requirements
      • PhD Degree Requirements
      • Graduate Student Resources
      • Forms for Grad Students
      • Financial Assistance
      • Award & Funding Opportunities
      • Entomology Student Organization
    • Online Masters in Applied Entomology
    • Undergraduate >
      • Entomology Minor
      • Honors Program
  • Research
    • IPM & Biological Control of Agricultural, Urban & Forest Pests
    • Ecology, Conservation, Restoration, Climate Change >
      • Pollinator Science and Apiculture
    • Evolution, Systematics and Evo-Devo
    • Genetics & Genomics and Medical Entomology
  • Extension/Outreach
    • Educational Outreach
    • Insect Camp
    • Insect Drawings
    • Insect Identification
    • Pesticide Education and Assessment Program
    • Plant Diagnostic Laboratory (PDL)