Taylor Pierson
Molecular Lab Manager
Email: piersont@ufl.edu
I am the molecular lab manager for the Kawahara Lab and the McGuire Center. I work with a wide range of personnel in the lab on various projects relating to phylogenetics and morphology, digitization, and the conservation of Lepidoptera. In addition to lab work, I’m interested in outreach and education and the role of natural history museums in the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity. I currently have a B.S. in Biology from the University of Florida.
Jose I. Martinez
Curatorial Assistant
Email: joemartinez@ufl.edu
I am a curatorial assistant for the Kawahara Lab at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. I have been a research associate of the McGuire Center at the Florida Museum of Natural History since 2015 and recently graduated with my Ph.D in entomology (Spring 2022). Before I joined the museum, I received a B.S. in biology from the Conkal Institute of Technology and a M.Sc. in tropical natural resources management at the Autonomous University of Yucatan. My research background includes ecology and IPM especially in Lepidoptera and Neuroptera, and lately I have been specializing in systematics, taxonomy, evolutionary history, behavior, and conservation of owlet moths and relatives (Noctuoidea). In my current position I oversee the curation of the Noctuoidea collection, identification of taxa related with the ongoing projects in the Kawahara Lab, and introducing students to collection management in the McGuire Center.
Rhys Campo
Research Assistant
Email: campoj@ufl.edu
I recently graduated with a B.S. in Entomology & Nematology in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. During my time at the Kawahara Lab I have been working on a project measuring environment-driven phenotypic plasticity in the larvae of the pest species Plodia interpunctella. Insect behavior is my main area of interest and there is still a lot we can learn, especially with less-studied species.
Yash Sondhi
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email: yashsondhi@ufl.edu
My research is about how moths and butterflies sense the world. I want to understand how their eyes and brains have evolved to complicated visual tasks in light-limited environments. I use an integrative approach looking at their genes, behavior and in the light of evolution to understand how butterflies’ and moths’ visual systems function. Like many other nocturnal animals, moths get disoriented and entrapped by light. I study the effects of light pollution on nocturnal insects and how we can combat this issue. I also help with citizen science and biodiversity monitoring in India.
Saria Francis
Undergraduate digitization assistant
Jamie Beach
Undergraduate digitization assistant
Yi-Ming Weng
Postdoctoral Research Associate
ResearchGate
I have a general interest in insect evolution and my research background is in population genetics, evolutionary genomics, and adaptation. I am specifically interested in demographic history and molecular adaptation of alpine insects. I studied genome evolution of Lepidoptera in the Kawahara Lab.
Keating Godfrey
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Website
I have a background in ecology and neuroscience and am interested in the roles of genetic variation and neural plasticity in decision-making behaviors in insects. I am specifically interested in host choice and therefore variation in the molecular pathways and neural circuits underlying egg-laying and feeding behaviors. In the Kawahara lab I focus on chemosensory receptor evolution in hawk moths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae).
Rachit Pratap Singh
Visiting Researcher
I am a moth enthusiast but have always been curious to learn about all forms of biodiversity and insects. Currently, as a visiting researcher in the Kawahara lab, I am working on the genomics of Macrosoma (Hedylidae), which form the bizarre group of American moth-butterflies. Prior to this, I was pursuing my Masters in ecology & evolution at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany, where I worked with Dr. Gunnar Brehm on projects dealing with the light-trapping methodology and ecology of moths. Being part of the www.mothsofindia.org team, I also engage in citizen science and outreach activities to help with documentation and conservation of the moth fauna in India.
Brandon Parker
Molecular Lab Technician
I am the molecular lab technician for the Kawahara Lab. My role involves managing personnel and conducting molecular research as I assist the lab with ongoing projects. In addition to my work in the Kawahara lab, I also maintain an active interest in conservation genetics, disease ecology, and virology. In my free time I enjoy kayaking, hiking, and traveling.
Shashank Pathour
Postdoctoral Fellow
Toshita Barve
University Scholars Student Research Assistant
Email: tbarve@ufl.edu
Hailey Dansby
Post-Bacc Research Assistant
I am a research assistant interested in the relationship between humans and the natural world, particularly insects. Currently I assist in research using meta-barcoding methods to detect cryptic species. I also assist with lab outreach and education. I graduated with my B.A. in English from the University of Florida in 2021.
Caroline Storer
Assistant Scientist
Xuankun Li
Postdoctoral Fellow
Laurel Kaminsky
Digitization Manager
Emily Ellis
Postdoctoral Fellow
Becky Messcher
Student Research Assistant
Twitter: @bio__beck
I’m currently a senior undergraduate student and research assistant in the Kawahara lab at UF. My main duties lie in the molecular lab, where I perform DNA extractions, PCR, DNA quantification & qualification, etc. for moth and butterfly phylogenetic projects. In addition to these projects, I am completing an NSF REU project on conservation of silk genes within Lepidoptera. Although molecular biology is my main love in the lab, I enjoy helping out with the lab’s wing voucher volunteers and engaging in outreach projects such as those with the Thompson Earth Systems Institute when opportunities arise.
Erin Jane Lapasaran
Digitization Project Assistant & Volunteer Coordinator
Twitter: @ejvlap
I am a senior undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Anthropology. After graduation, I hope to continue my work in natural history collections and their research applications. I currently work in digitizing pinned collections and recruiting/training volunteers for our department. I am also designing a new workflow to digitize fluid-based larval collections.
Chris A. Hamilton
NSF PRFB Postdoc Fellow
Website
Twitter
Hannah Owens
NSF PRFB Postdoc Fellow
Website
Twitter
ResearchGate
iNaturalist
Emmanuel Toussaint
Postdoctoral Fellow
Website
Twitter
Deborah Triant
Postdoctoral Fellow
Muhammad Z. Ahmed
Postdoctoral Fellow
ResearchGate
ResearcherID
Googlescholar
I am interested in how species are interacting and how interactions influence the biology, ecology and genomes of interacting species with main focus on Endosymbiosis.
Shigeki Kobayashi
Visiting Postdoc
Jesse Breinholt
Post Doctoral Associate
The core of my research interests is based in phylogenetics and population genetics. Through the use of phylogenetics and population genetics I address my interests in evolution, conservation biology, and taxonomy. I specialize in working with crustaceans specifically fresh water crayfish. My work in the Kawahara lab will focus on Lepidoptera evolution. My main focus in the Kawahara lab is developing bioinformatic scripts for Lepidoptera Phylotranscriptomic anaylysis. Below Is a link to tip and scripts I have been developing for use on the UF High performance computing cluster.
Kelly Dexter
Lab Manager
LinkedIn
Samm Epstein
Volunteer Manager & Research Assistant
As a lab technician, I assist with and supervise various projects we do here in the Kawahara lab. I also manage an amazing team of dedicated volunteers that help us achieve so many of our research goals. Some of the main projects I am focused on include creating, updating, and organizing the wing voucher and molecular collection and database, rearing luna moth (Actias luna) and Falco (Xylophanes falco) caterpillars for moth & bat interactions, and doing behavioral/mating experiments with adult luna moths. I also work in Jaret Daniel’s lab assisting with fieldwork surveying native milkweed in Florida.
My main interests are in the areas of conservation, and public outreach/education. Some of my past research has involved monitoring endangered shorebirds, and studying the monarch migration, both in southern New Jersey. I am still extremely passionate about monarchs, especially in a time when their migration is threatened by agricultural pesticide use, climate change, and loss of habitat. Please help out by planting some native milkweed! I feel that it’s not only important to study science and conduct research but to share and educate the general public in order to help make an impact in protecting wildlife and our planet.
I also manage my own art business and am usually painting pet portraits and creating animal artwork in my free time. You can check out my website here.
Marianne Espeland
Postdoctoral Fellow
Karina Harris
Undergraduate Student
Geena Hill
Lab Coordinator & Research Assistant
As the lab coordinator, I manage the social media for the lab, coordinate volunteer work, organize lab outings and travel plans, and maintain greenhouses that hold host plants for caterpillar rearing. I also spend my time as a research assistant and have focused my research on geometric morphometrics in the Saturniidae family. While supervising prior high school student, Minjia Zhong, we were interested in how selection was acting on various wing types and if there is a specific wing type that is being favored and allowing for higher success rates – i.e. evading bat predation. I oversee other various projects in the lab that involve hawkmoth ultrasound experiments and luna moth mating experiments. In the past, I have assisted graduate students with field work in Hawaii and Peru, and have led a student trip in southern Arizona.
Additional past research has been focused on wildflower conservation on roadsides and backyard pollinator studies. More recently, I work as the taxon recovery assistant for a Disney conservation grant, which involves conserving at-risk butterflies in peninsular Florida and southern California. I aspire to continue my studies in the conservation field, and hope to focus on plant-insect interactions.
Stacey Huber
LepNet coordinator
Qianju Jia
Master’s Student
Emily Johns
High School Student
Ga-Eun Lee
Visiting Researcher
Tatum Norrell
Undergraduate Student
Francesca Ponce
HHMI Undergraduate Fellow
Cassandra Romero
Undergraduate Student
Jillian Sullivan
Undergraduate Student
Yuxin Zhang
High School Student
Minjia Zhong
Mu Alpha High School Fellow