About the Insect Biology Interdisciplinary Group

Insects are the most species rich and diverse animals on Earth. Their diversity and numbers make insects key components in most ecosystems as predators and prey, as well as essential organisms in herbivory, pollination, parasitism and nutrient cycling.  Insects profoundly affect humans and other animals as vectors of many diseases and as pests in agriculture, forestry and urban environments. The small size and short generation times of most insects also make them excellent model organisms in many scientific disciplines including genetics, physiology, behavior, ecology and evolutionary biology.  Our faculty in Insect Biology investigate topics that include biomedicine and biotechnology, the use of insects or other arthropods as models, and the study of insects in populations or ecosystems to better understand fundamentally important processes in nature.

Specific areas of investigation include vector biology, infectious disease, microbial symbiosis, endocrinology, systematics and evolution, genomics, evolution and development, and ecology. Many faculty members in Insect Biology also have interdisciplinary research programs that use multiple techniques or approaches to address novel questions. Techniques in the areas of population modeling, biostatistics, genetics, molecular biology, genomics and proteomics are used prominently by a number of faculty. We strongly suggest that you contact faculty with whom you share research interests by email early in the application process.