Entomology Area of Study for M.S., M.P.S. or Ph.D. in Environmental Biology

Graduate study opportunities prepare students in the basic aspects of insect life and the role of insects in relation to humans and their environment.

The wide range of effects stemming from insect activity, from the beneficial to the deleterious, allows for a variety of research subjects in which insects play a major role. Thesis topics may concern insects that affect forests, shade trees and wood products, those relating to the health and well-being of humans, those playing key roles as parasites and predators of pest species, and those serving as food for many birds and vertebrate animals. Current research areas include population dynamics of forest defoliators, pheromone communications in beetles and moths, evolution of chemical communication, effects of forest practices on stream benthic insects, natural control of insects in forest systems and biochemistry of insect detoxification mechanisms.

Participating Faculty

• Melissa K. Fierke; mkfierke@esf.edu
  forest entomology, forest ecology, invasive forest pests, insect-tree interactions, tree defenses
• Brian F. Leydet; bfleydet@esf.edu
  infectious and vector-borne diseases, arthropods of veterinary and medical importance, vector biology, vector-pathogen-host interactions, disease ecology, molecular biology, epidemiology of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases
• Dylan Parry; dparry@esf.edu
  Biological invasion, climate change, and conservation, primarily in the context of insects in forested ecosystems.
• Stephen A. Teale; sateale@esf.edu
  forest entomology, insect behavior, pheromones of forest insects, insect ecology, pest management, chemical ecology, evolution of pheromone communications