 | Dr. Brian Lazzaro, Principal Investigator Prof. Lazzaro is jointly appointed in the Cornell departments of Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and is the lead investigator for the team. Dr. Lazzaro is the Director of the Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease (CIHMID). He teaches courses on genetics and evolutionary biology, and previously served as co-chair of the committee responsible for writing the annual AP Biology college-equivalency exam for high school students. CV contact: bplazzaro@cornell.edu |
 | Dr. Scott Keith, Postdoctoral Fellow Scott's research is focused on endocrinological control of Drosophila immunity. Specifically, he uses genetic and genomic approaches to decipher the roles of Ecdysone and Juvenile Hormone in potentiating and suppressing antibacterial immunity. Scott's Ph.D. research was on the role of Arc1 in regulating the Drosophila gut microbiota. Scott has previously worked with a diversity of different organisms, including the nematode worm C. elegans, the yeast Candida albicans, the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, and an invasive coral, Tubastrea coccinea. |
 | Dr. Melanie Smee, Research Associate Mel will be joining us in January 2024 to work on the bacterial genetics of Serratia and Providencia infection in Drosophila. |
 | Kate Browning, Ph.D. student Kate's research is focused on translational control and cellular stress in Drosophila immunity. She is developing a new method for tissue-specific profiling of translational activity and is applying it to key D. melanogaster tissues after bacterial infection. Prior to graduate school, Kate worked as a research scientist in the biotechnology industry. |
 | Andrea Darby, Ph.D. student Drea's research is focused on the metabolic consequences of bacterial infection in D. melanogaster and on the influence of dietary nutrition on infection outcomes. She is specifically interested in the effects of dietary sugar and on interactions between insulin signaling and immune signaling. Prior to graduate school, Drea researched the effects of desiccation stress on the gut microbiota of D. melanogaster. Drea's website |
 | Fajr Ali, Undergraduate Researcher Fajr's research is directed toward the role of dietary protein in supporting the D. melanogaster immune response. She has also worked on the consequences of bacterial infection on reproductive output in D. melanogaster. |
 | Ananda Kalukin, Undergraduate Researcher Ananda is studying the genetic basis for endocrinological control of immunity in Drosophila. Before joining our lab, he studied the metabolic and neurobiological effects of Zika virus infection of D. melanogaster. |
 | Jailyn Loor, Undergraduate Researcher Jailyn is studying how dysbiosis of the D. melanogaster gut microbiome can reduce resistance to systemic bacterial infection. Jailyn is a CIHMID Undergraduate Research Scholar. |
