A complete listing of ISC affiliates.
Ahenkorah’s work blends art and ecology, focusing on invasive plants and the ecosystems they disrupt. Using natural materials and processes, he creates pieces that reveal the connections between humans and the environment.
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Allan is investigating how prescribed burns affect the spread of laurel wilt, an invasive insect-vectored fungal disease caused by Harringtonia lauricola.
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Andrews’ research focuses on the biological control of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). She is specifically establishing populations and studying the biology of two specialist predators of HWA, Leucotaraxis argenticollis and Leucotaraxis piniperda, in the eastern United States.
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Dr. Badgley and his lab conduct research in environmental microbiology with a particular focus on how populations and communities of microorganisms impact water and soil quality.
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Dr. Barney’s research is broadly focused on the causes, consequences, epidemiology, management, and policy of invasive plant species.
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Dr. Bell is an environmental sociologist whose research has primarily focused on environmental and climate (in)justice in fossil-fuel extraction communities; however, her emerging areas of interest are focused on community-based restoration strategies on public and community-owned forest lands in Appalachia, including both invasive exotic plant species removal and the cultivation of native forest medicinal herbs and forest foods.
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Block uses the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius), an invasive urban pest, to study urban evolutionary processes. Such processes include invasion dynamics, the genomics of establishment, and patterns of gene flow and genetic structure.
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Dr. Booth’s research explores how organisms adapt and evolve within urban environments, using invasive indoor urban pest insects (most notably bed bugs) as model systems of study.
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Dr. Brown’s research focuses on aquatic ecology, including community ecology and biodiversity, metacommunity structure and assembly, and the impact of invasions on symbiotic interactions.
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Dr. Chowdhury develops mathematical and computational models to investigate complex biological and ecological systems, with applications in epidemiology and public health. Some of his more recent work includes studying fungal pathogen transmission in North American salamanders and analyzing the dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases.
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Dr. Cobourn’s research involves integrating biological models of pest dynamics with economic models of human decision making to understand what factors drive the spread of invasive species and what policy instruments effectively and efficiently slow or halt spread.
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Dr. Cooper uses genomic techniques to understand the health of populations and their resilience to anthropogenic pressures, including invasive species and habitat alteration.
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Crytser’s research investigates the dietary shifts of såli (Micronesian starlings – Aplonis opaca) in response to the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) invasion on Guam using stable isotopes to access trophic dynamics.
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Dr. Czuba’s research focuses on the transport of water and sediment in streams and rivers and how that affects the distribution of invasive and native aquatic species, including fish, macroinvertebrates, freshwater mussels, and plants.
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Darnell’s research goals focus on providing cost-effective, environmentally sound management practices for aquatic (specifically submerged plants), natural areas, and right-of-way plant species. Such species include Cogongrass, Phragmites, and Japanese Knotweed.
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Dr. Del-Pozo is an applied insect ecologist, leading efforts to implement pest management solutions for turfgrass and ornamental stakeholders across Virginia.
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Diaz-Manrique’s research explores how perceptions of source credibility and trust shape attitudes and behaviors in environmental and natural resource conservation.
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Dickinson’s research focuses on the welfare and performance of conservation and agricultural detection dogs. Her most recent project explores how volunteer dog-handler teams — made up of everyday people and their pets — can effectively detect spotted lanternfly egg masses.
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Dr. Eisenback’s research focuses on plant-parasitic nematodes.
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Dr. Endriss is an evolutionary ecologist with a passion for understanding the evolution, ecology, and impacts of introduced plants, especially in the context of species invasion and dispersal.
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Dr. Entrekin studies how aquatic invertebrate identity and function are changed by human activities on land and in the water.
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A key component of Dr. Escobar’s research is developing theory and methods to study the biogeography of infectious diseases, disease ecology, and invasion biology. Current projects include bat-borne rabies, chronic wasting disease, spatial epidemiology in the Anthropocene, and disease-biodiversity relationships.
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Dr. Fearer’s research explores the micro- and macro- level impacts of nonnative pathogens on forest ecosystems. She has studied laurel wilt disease, beech bark disease, beech leaf disease, and walnut witches’ broom.
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Dr. Fox is interested in assisting with any effort that makes use of technologies in the computing area, including artificial intelligence, digital libraries, information retrieval (e.g., search systems), websites, and human-computer interactions.
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Franusich communicates complex ideas and concepts in creative, engaging, and digestible ways.
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Ghosh explores how herbivorous insects interact with their environment, focusing on the ecological and evolutionary forces that shape their behavior, physiology, and immune status. She uses invasive and range-expanding insects as model systems to understand how herbivore defenses evolve in multitrophic contexts, how they use environmental signals to anticipate threats, and what physiological costs accompany these defenses.
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Dr. Haak’s research is focused on identifying genomic regions of plants and microbes that can be used to improve plant health to promote a sustainable and secure food supply.
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Hargett’s research examines the mechanisms driving spatial and temporal variation in streambed habitat and how these dynamics shape the distribution and community structure of crayfish and other aquatic species. His current work investigates how invasive crayfish species, particularly Faxonius cristavarius and F. virilis, exploit natural variation in habitat quality to expand their range into nearby drainages.
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Dr. Harner’s research examines how spotted lanternfly (SLF) affects grapevine biology and physiology, fruit composition traits critical for grape and wine quality, grape production, and vineyard agroecosystems, as well as how interactions between SLF and other major vascular pathogens influence vine biology and functioning.
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Hallie is the Program Coordinator for the Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC) at Virginia Tech. A proud alumna of Virginia Tech (B.S. Natural Resources Conservation) and the University of Georgia (Masters of Agricultural and Environmental Education), she has a passion for practical and ethical land management. Hallie brings nearly ten years of natural resource management experience to the ISC and is now responsible for overseeing a diverse portfolio of programmatic, communicative, and administrative activities.
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Hartle studies the microbiology of invasive and pest ants, as well as how pathogens and microbiomes can influence their behaviors.
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Hassett serves as the Research Support Specialist for all Endriss Lab students. While assisting with research projects and lab management, she also works on the lab’s science communication, extension, outreach, and public relations efforts.
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Hughes’ research is focused on defining the male-determining locus borders of Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and whether it was inherited from a common ancestor (A. albopictus and A. aegypti).
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Jain’s research explores plant-seed disperser interaction networks in the Central Appalachian Mountains.
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Dr. Jantzen’s current research involves clarifying the nature of biological entities and processes through philosophical analysis, developing computational tools for automating scientific inference (especially concerning complex systems measured through time), and the monitoring, natural history, and conservation of invertebrates.
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Dr. Jones investigates temporal and spatial changes in insecticide resistance in German cockroach populations, as well as the chemical ecology of several pest and invasive species behavior.
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Jozani’s current work involves epidemic supply chain modeling, where she develops optimization frameworks to support decision-making under uncertainty. She is also actively involved in a wavyleaf basketgrass control project in Virginia.
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Dr. Kelinsky-Jones researches resilient food systems in Virginia and Central Appalachia using an agroecological lens with an eye toward policy and planning.
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Klopf specializes in plant ecology and land reclamation, and manages research projects related to the revegetation of mined landscapes, the use of native plant species for reclamation and restoration, community ecology, wetland ecology, water quality monitoring, American chestnut restoration, and forest genetics.
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Dr. Kuhar has over twenty years of experience working on various invasive species of agricultural importance including brown marmorated stink bug, kudzu bug, spotted lanternfly, Asian jumping worm, Asian longhorned tick, and others.
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Dr. Lahondère researches the thermal biology, eco-physiology, and neuroethology of disease vector insects and ticks.
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Dr. Larsen-Gray’s research focuses on wildlife ecology in private, working forests throughout the eastern United States.
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Liu’s research investigates the disease dynamics of viruses in the invasive fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, and the interplay between virus prevalence and current baiting strategies.
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Lopez studies plant-insect interactions in invasive plant systems with a focus on management.
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Manchester works with Native American Tribes to promote traditional ecological knowledge.
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Mangru researches soil microbiomes and is working to identify microbial functional traits closely associated with building soil carbon.
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Menendez investigates the impacts of the spotted lanternfly on grapevine health and physiology, its effects on fruit and wine chemistry, and its interactions with other grapevine pests and diseases.
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Dr. Messeder’s research integrates phylogenomics, functional ecology, and network theory to understand how plant traits evolve and shape ecological dynamics through plant–animal interactions. He is currently studying the ecological consequences of invasive brown tree snakes in the Mariana Islands.
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Dr. Meyers utilizes socio-ecological research to identify and test best practices in the development of utility-scale solar photovoltaic projects.
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Miles uses genomic data of invasive and pest invertebrates to understand evolution in urban habitats.
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Miles studies the biological control of tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) with a soil-borne fungus (Verticillium nonalfalfae) and their interaction with spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula).
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Miller believes art and science work well together, when they work together, which is not often enough. He has interests in all drawing, sustainable design and systems, international art fairs, bugs, and art/science collaborations.
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Dr. Mims’ research investigates how species’ traits and environmental attributes interact to influence community and population structure of aquatic organisms. Her overarching goal is to uncover, understand, and predict differential response of aquatic species to a changing landscape and climate.
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Dr. Moore has studied the behavioral ecology and physiology of reproduction and stress in invasive species. Vertebrates of interest include tropical birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
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Dr. Nuñez-Penichet is passionate about research that explores quantitative ecology, distributional ecology, invasive species, dispersal ecology, and biodiversity patterns.
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Dr. Nyboer is a freshwater ecologist and conservation scientist exploring how anthropogenic stressors affect freshwater ecosystems and the fish, fisheries, and fishing communities they support.
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As an artist, Okumura hopes to use her creativity to help make the world a better place by shifting how people perceive life and experience the world. She is currently working on a project to create paper from invasive plant species.
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Photo credit: Victoria Boatwright
Dr. Onufrieva coordinates and manages research on the optimization of mating disruption tactics against spongy moths (Lymantria dispar) in support of the national “Slow the Spread Program”.
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Parizad examines the roles of invasive aphids and alternative host plants in barley yellow dwarf virus transmission to understand better how environmental changes affect its spread.
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Parrott investigates the use of near-infrared spectroscopy to detect in-situ resistance in Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri, Poir.) to infestation by the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae, Ratz.).
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Prysby directs the Virginia Master Naturalist (VMN) program, a statewide corps of volunteers engaged in natural resource education, science, and stewardship. Invasive species are a focus of VMN volunteer work.
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Dr. Reid studies ecological restoration and community assembly in tropical and temperate terrestrial ecosystems.
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Ripa is researching how to limit non-native plant invasion of stream restoration projects and how both restoration and invasion might impact the soundscape, particularly as it relates to anuran communities.
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Dr. Rogers’ research focuses on population and community ecology, plant-animal interactions, seed dispersal, pollination, food web dynamics, tropical biology, ecosystem services, and conservation. A majority of the research is conducted on the Mariana Islands, where due to the introduction of the brown tree snake, Guam’s forests are now functionally without birds.
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Dr. Salom researches forest insect and weed pests, with an emphasis on developing tools and strategies to improve management for those pests. His main area of focus is the biological control of hemlock woolly adelgid and tree of heaven.
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Dr. Schmale’s research explores how microorganisms are transported over long distances in the atmosphere.
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Dr. Schwob is interested in the development of spatio-temporal models with applications in ecology, epidemiology, and environmental sciences. One example of an invasive system he is currently working on is cheatgrass.
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Dr. Seiler’s research explores the ecophysiology of invasive plants, including acclimation to changing environments (e.g. light and temperature).
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Sikder’s research focuses on using invasive plants to create sustainable handmade crafts and natural plant-based dyes.
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Smith’s research explores how consumers’ perceptions and purchase decisions change when messages about invasive plants are framed differently.
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Dr. Sorice’s research interests focus on individual and group behavior as it relates to environmental stewardship with an emphasis on the role of natural resource users and landowners in protecting biodiversity and imperiled ecosystems.
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As the VCE Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Stern supports and directs the work of over 5,000 volunteers and serves as a resource on plant health and environmental stewardship issues. In her role as a Master’s student, Stern is researching the presence and impact of Allium leafminer (Phytomyza gymnostoma) in Virginia.
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Sutphin provides education and outreach about horticultural pests, including spotted lanternfly, box tree moth, spongy moth, and tree-of-heaven.
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Dr. Buyuktahtakin Toy’s research explores optimal management of invasive species with mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence. Past species of interest include the emerald ash borer in North America, Sericea Lespedeza in the Great Plains, and buffelgrass in the Sonoran Desert.
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Vrh’s dissertation project explores the ecosystem dynamics of plant and animal communities in Grayson Highlands State Park using interdisciplinary methods to elucidate species interactions and inform park management.
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Dr. Wald’s research explores the drivers of conflict and the barriers to effective communication in environmental contexts, including issues of trust, identity, and power in the management of water, land, and wildlife. This work informs the domains of environmental psychology, environmental and risk communication, and public policy.
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Dr. Westwood studies parasitic plants, both native and introduced, with special emphasis on their biological adaptations for parasitism and potential mechanisms by which host plants respond to parasitism.
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Yan is developing a comprehensive management strategy for controlling wavyleaf basketgrass dispersal by integrating artificial intelligence with advanced optimization techniques.
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Dr. Yang studies invasive ants through an integrated approach combining genetics & genomics, behavior ecology and microbial interactions with a goal of developing biorational invasive ant management strategies that mitigate their impacts.
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The Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC) at Virginia Tech aims to position the university as a center of excellence in the science, policy, and management of invasive species by bridging disciplinary divides, driving innovative solutions, and engaging in team science.
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