Science Policy Fellows Program Classes

Selected in 2025; active service through Nov. 14, 2027

(Listed below as pictured left to right)

• James T. Brown, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, studies insect biological control and integrated pest management in grape vineyards, strawberries, and other soft fruits.
• Alexander Butcher is a Ph.D. student in Horticulture and Organizational Leadership at Oregon State University. Researches biorational control tools for mealybugs in vineyards and the valorization of black soldier fly frass.
• Erika T. Machtinger, Ph.D., CWB is an Associate Professor of Veterinary Entomology at Penn State and the Penn State Extension Vector-borne Disease Team lead, studying ectoparasite-host interactions to improve and develop management options for pests of medical and veterinary importance.
• Mason Russo, Ph.D., works as the Research and Projects Coordinator for the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, which oversees the multi-agency Port of Entry Monitoring (PoEM) program at airports and seaports for high-impact pests. He also helps identify and develop research projects that enhance our understanding of invasive species in Hawaiʻi.
• Fhallon Ware-Gilmore, Ph.D., the Principal Public Health Entomologist at the Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit, focuses her work on developing and evaluating integrated vector control interventions, strengthening local capacity, and advancing outbreak investigations across U.S. territories and commonwealths.

Selected in 2024; active service through Nov. 9, 2026

(Listed below as pictured left to right)

• Michelle Boone, Ph.D., a pollinator project manager with the Inventory and Monitoring Division of the National Park Service, manages bee and butterfly inventory projects at 26 park units across eleven U.S. states.
• Rachel L. Johnson, a PhD student at Kansas State University, studies the application of RNA microspheres to improve the efficiency of RNA interference (RNAi) in moths for pest control.
• Lidia Komondy, a Ph.D. student at Cornell University, conducts research on the ecology and management of plant-pathogenic arthropods within vegetable cropping systems.
• Tamra Reall, Ph.D., a field specialist in horticulture, works in the University of Missouri Extension and serves as an science outreach professional for the system.
• Rachel L. Walsh, a Ph.D. student in interdisciplinary ecology at the University of Florida, uses ecological genomics, population genetics, and niche modeling to aid conservation planning for at-risk insects with a focus on an imperiled Florida butterfly, the Loammi skipper (Atrytonopsis loammi).

Selected in 2023; active service through Nov. 8, 2025

(Listed below as pictured left to right)

• Tristan A. Barley, a Ph.D. student in entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studies the effects of co-locating pollinator habitat at solar facilities on insect biodiversity as well as competition between honey bees and wild bees.
• Lewis Bartlett, Ph.D., faculty with joint appointment between the Department of Entomology & Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia, develops tools to assess and improve the health of honey bees in agricultural settings.
• Morgan (Mo) Christman, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research scholar in entomology at The Ohio State University, assesses the impact of climate change, habitat quality, and land management practices on bumble bees in agroecosystems to inform conservation and management practices.
• DeShae Dillard, a Ph.D. student in entomology and ecology, evolution, and behavior at Michigan State University, studies the impact of agricultural conservation on community diversity and functional composition of Diptera to promote a broader understanding of the ecosystem services being provided in agroecological landscapes.
• Joanelis Medina is a Ph.D. candidate in public health and epidemiology in the process of acquiring her BCE and currently is the vector management and laboratory supervisor at the Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit.

Selected in 2022; active service through Nov. 9, 2024

(Listed below as pictured left to right)

• Corey Day, a Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, researches the spatial epidemiology of La Crosse virus disease and the ecology of its vectors.
• Kelsey E. Fisher, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research associate at Iowa State University, studies monarch butterfly and pollinator conservation in agroecosystems with an emphasis on movement ecology.
• Sarah Gunter, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, is an epidemiologist with a research focus on developing geospatial and molecular tools to better fight vector-borne disease of human importance in the United States and Central America.
• Dowen Jocson, a Ph.D. candidate in entomology at Washington State University, studies vibrational communication in insects and insect pests to develop better IPM strategies.
• Hannah E. Quellhorst, a Ph.D. candidate in entomology at Kansas State University, studies the behavior, ecology, and insect–microbe interactions of invasive stored products pests to help improve IPM programs, ultimately leading to increased biosecurity and food security.

Selected in 2021; active service through Nov. 4, 2023

• Ms. Anna M. Briggs, a Ph.D. candidate in entomology at the University of Idaho, studies biological factors that impact the transmission of malaria parasites to the mosquito host. 
• Ms. Leah Buchman, a Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University, studies plant-insect-microbe interactions and their role in IPM in agricultural systems as well as the public perception of emerging technologies in agriculture at The Bush School of Government and Public Service.
• Dr. Melissa Nolan, an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, is a clinical epidemiologist researching the complex factors that result in vector-human transmission of Chagas disease and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses throughout the Americas.
• Dr. Ashfaq Sial, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, holds research, extension, and teaching appointments, and serves as IPM Coordinator for the state of Georgia. His research investigates the biology and ecology of economically important insect pests of fruits crops and helps farmers implement sustainable IPM programs.
• Dr. Judy Wu-Smart, an Extension & Research Entomologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, pursues research questions and extension programs focused on better understanding stressors on pollinator health in managed as well as wild bee communities.

Selected in 2021; active service through Nov. 4, 2023

• Ms. Emily Carlson, a PhD student at Oregon State University, studies how pesticide exposure differs between honey bees and native bees with varying landscape context.
• Dr. Liz Dykstra, the Public Health Entomologist for the Washington State Department of Health, provides leadership and expertise on arthropods of public health importance for the state, with a focus on the impact of climate change on zoonotic and vector-borne diseases.
• Dr. Allison Gardner, an assistant professor at the University of Maine, is a medical entomologist studying the ecology and management of mosquito-borne and tick-borne disease.
• Ms. Nicole Nazario-Maldonado, an environmental public health advisor and the laboratory supervisor at the Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit, leads the surveillance, screening, insecticide resistance testing, and product evaluation for efficient vector control strategies in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
• Dr. Meredith Spence Beaulieu, the assistant director of the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine at Duke University, leads initiatives to advance research and education in evolutionary approaches to understanding health and disease.

Selected in 2019; active service through Oct. 30, 2021

• Dr. Ryan Gott, the associate director of integrated pest management at Phipps Conservatory, manages structural, urban, and plant pest management programs and educates on plant health care.
• Ms. Aditi Dubey, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland, studying potential benefits and non-target impacts of neonicotinoid seed treatments in grain crop rotations.
• Ms. Kaitlin Deutsch, a Ph.D. student at Cornell University, is studying pollinator disease ecology, specifically investigating virus spillover from managed bees to the wild pollinator community.
• Dr. Sydney Crawley, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Urban Entomology at North Carolina State University, is leading a research and extension program focused on improving pest management strategies for urban pest insects.
• Dr. Hannah L. Gray is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas in Austin. 

Selected in 2018; active service through Nov. 14, 2020

• Dr. Christian Krupke, a professor of entomology at Purdue University, is studying risks to pollinators from pesticide use in agricultural fields.
• Ms. Julia Brokaw, a PhD student at the University of Minnesota, studies wild bees and tallgrass prairie restoration, specifically examining seed mix design and nesting ecology of ground-nesting solitary bees.
• Dr. John Banks, the director of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center at CSU-Monterey Bay, is assessing the risks of using pesticides on our crops.
• Dr. Jaeson T. Clayborn, an adjunct lab instructor at Florida International University and president of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Chapter of South Florida, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to lepidopteran conservation, research, and educational outreach.
• Dr. Sheina Sim, a Research Biologist with the USDA-ARS in Hilo, Hawaii where she conducts research which focuses on improving the sterile insect technique (SIT) for the control and eradication of invasive agricultural pests.

Selected in 2017; active service through Nov. 16, 2019

• Dr. Meaghan Pimsler, a postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alabama. Meaghan studies adaptive population genetics in native pollinators. 
• Dr. Cheri Abraham, an operations manager and entomologist for US Citrus, LLC. Cheri is part of a Citrus production start-up and his multi-faceted work includes everything from daily operations to developing and implementing IPM protocols.
• Dr. Timothy Durham, an assistant professor of agronomy and agricultural science at Ferrum College. Tim works with Bt corn and sustainable pest management.
• Ms. Ashley Kennedy, a PhD student at the University of Delaware. Ashley studies breeding birds' insect prey preferences to improve avian conservation efforts.
• Dr. Jeffrey Scott, a professor in the department of entomology at Cornell University. Jeff studies insecticides, seeking ways to use decrease the impact of resistance and use fewer chemicals.

Selected in 2016; active service through Nov. 10, 2018

• Dr. Jason R. Cryan, deputy director and chief of research and collections for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Dr. Cryan's training is as a systematist.
• Dr. Michelle A. Duennes, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Duennes studies bumble bee nutritional ecology.
• Dr. Jennifer R. Gordon, an urban entomologist for SC Johnson and Sons, Inc, in Racine, WI. Dr. Gordon work focuses on insecticide resistance management.
• Dr. Joe Kaser, a postdoctoral associate at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Dr. Kaser's research interests are with invasive species.
• Dr. Glen Scoles, a research entomologist with the USDA-ARS in Pullman, WA. Dr. Scoles works on diseases transmitted by ticks to livestock.In 2014, ESA formed a program to support and develop scientists as visible and effective advocates for entomology and entomological research.

Selected during the summer of 2016, highlights of service for this class include:

• 2016 ESA Annual Meeting training workshop
• May 2017 trip to Washington DC (with the SPF class of 2015). The Fellows met with 20 different Hill offices, participated in a CNSF congressional exhibit, and Gordon briefed staff from the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on recent findings and successful strategies to mitigate the vector through integrated pest management as well as emerging biotechnology.
• (planned) October 2017 trip to meet with federal agencies and NGOs (with the SPF class of 2015)
• 2017 ESA Annual Meeting training workshop
• (planned) May 2018 visit to Washington DC to meet with congressional offices
• (planned) October 2018 visit to Washington DC to meet with NGOs and federal agencies

Selected in 2015; active service through Nov. 4, 2017

• Dr. Kamal J.K. Gandhi, an Associate Professor at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and an Adjunct Associate Professor from the Department of Entomology, both at the University of Georgia.
• Dr. Clare C. Rittschof, a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Illinois and Pennsylvania State University. Rittschof will be appointed as an Assistant Professor of Integrative Arthropod Biology in the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky in January 2016.
• Dr. Thomas E. Anderson, an industry consultant and the owner of Entoniche Consulting, LLC, in Clayton, NC. Anderson is retired as the Global Insecticide R&D Group Leader for FMC Corporation in Ewing, NJ.
• Ms. Johanna Elsensohn, a PhD student at North Carolina State University with a major in entomology and minors in Genetic Engineering and Society, and Biotechnology. Elsensohn is an NSF IGERT fellow in Genetic Pest Management.
• Dr. Helen Spafford, an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant and Environment Protection Sciences at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Selected during the summer of 2015, highlights of service for this class include:

• 2015 ESA Annual Meeting training workshop
• May 2016 trip to Washington DC (with the SPF class of 2014), meeting with over 30 congressional offices from 11 states
• 2016 ESA Annual Meeting training workshop
• November 2016 trip to meet with federal agencies and NGOs (with the SPF class of 2014). The trip was the week following the tumultuous election of 2016. The Fellows met with various agencies and related NGOs and Elsensohn authored an EntomologyToday post about the trip.
• May 2017 visit to Washington DC to meet with congressional offices (with the SPF class of 2016). The Fellows met with 20 different Hill offices, presented to two congressional committee staff on the state of Zika research, and presented gene editing research and the new gene editing infographic during a CNSF congressional exhibit.
• October 2017 visit to Washington DC to meet with NGOs and federal agencies (with the SPF class of 2016)

Selected in 2014; active service through Sept. 24, 2016

• Dr. Marianne Alleyne, a research scientist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Dr. Anders S. Huseth, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University
• Dr. Jamin Dreyer, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky
• Dr. Rayda K. Krell, an independent consultant specializing in entomological and agricultural communications
• Ms. Ariel Rivers, a dual-title doctoral candidate at Pennsylvania State University, studying entomology and international agriculture and development

Highlights of their service include:

• 2014 ESA Annual Meeting training workshop
• May 2015 trip to Capitol Hill where the Fellows met with a combined total of 32 House and Senate offices (see this Entomology Today post from May 2015 for details).
• October 2015 trip to Washington where the Fellows met with federal and non-federal entitites of interest to entomologists including USDA-NIFA, NSF, NIH, FFAR, and the National Academies.
• 2015 ESA Annual Meeting training workshop
• May 2016 trip to Washington DC (with the SPF class of 2015), meeting with over 30 congressional offices from 11 states
• November 2016 trip to meet with federal agencies and NGOs