People

Chiranjivi joined the Forest Entomology Research Group as an Masters Student in August 2023 and completed his degree in December 2025 on how host selection behaviors influence life history traits and chemical signaling behavior in the polyphagous longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), with a particular focus on testing the ecological hypothesis “Mother Knows Best” and understanding the impacts of bottom-up effects on population dynamics. He also conducted field-based trapping studies investigating the factors influencing trap captures and the chemical ecology of woodboring insects, contributing to the development of early detection and rapid response monitoring programs for invasive species or monitoring species of conservation concern.

Currently pursuing a PhD in Entomology, Chiranjivi’s research explores how multimodal cues, including visual and olfactory signals, mediate mate location and mate recognition in cerambycid beetles. In addition to his research, he serves as the lab’s resident expert on longhorned beetle taxonomy and has contributed to a number of projects involving the identification of longhorned beetles.

Louisiana State University, M.S. in Entomology, Minor Applied Statistics, 2025

Agriculture and Forestry University, B.S. in Agriculture, 2021

Tovi joined the Forest Entomology Research Group as a Doctoral Student in August 2025. His research examines how the host-seeking behavior of parasitoid wasps are mediated by plant chemistry. 

Rutgers University, B.S. in Entomology, 2025

Suraj will be joining the Forest Entomology Research Group as a Doctoral Student in Spring 2027. His research will evaluate arthropod communities in formerly Chinese tallow infested ecosystems in Louisiana. 

Vinoba Bhave University, M.S. in Zoology (Sp. Entomology), 2022

Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, B.S. in Zoology, 2020

Elizabeth joined the Forest Entomology Research Group in February 2026, driven by her interests in translational chemistry, insect behavior, and a lifelong passion for exploring the forests of California and the Pacific Northwest. Her work includes coordinating research projects on emerald ash borer and other forest insect pests, collecting and processing insect specimens, and GC-MS sample preparation. She led ash tree scouting for the lab across Louisiana and coordinated the deployment of emerald ash borer monitoring traps in collaboration with the Louisiana Forest Service, while spearheading the development of ImageJ-based methods for quantifying Celtis bark traits. She will pursue graduate research on the molecular biology and genetics of adaptation.

Lewis & Clark College, B.A. in Biology, 2025

Chris joined in June 2025 to assist with numerous ongoing projects. These include the collection of longhorned beetles from pheromone traps, the collection and observation of flat-headed hackberry borer egg masses, and ordinal-level identification of arthropod samples for our research on ash the biodiversity of associated arthropods. After completing his degree, Chris hopes to pursue a graduate degree in forest entomology.

Louisiana State University, B.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Concentration in Wildlife Ecology, Anticipated Fall 2026

Sophie joined the Forest Entomology Research Group to assist with the identification of ash-associated arthropods as a laboratory technician in January 2025. She is responsible for the identification of true-bugs (Hempitera) collected in 2024 as a part of our ongoing assesment of arthropod biodiversity in ash trees. In the Summer of 2025, she also contributed to our research on the flat-headed hackberry borer through egg-mass collection and observation. After completing her degree, Sophie hopes to pursue a graduate degree in forest entomology.

Louisiana State University, B.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Concentration in Wildlife Ecology, Anticipated Fall 2026

Ridley joined the Forest Entomology Research Group to assist with the collection and identification of ash-associated arthropods as a field and laboratory technician in May 2023.  As the group's resident expert on insect taxonomy, in addition to his regular laboratory responsibilities, Ridley has taken on the identification of true bugs (Hemiptera) in our ongoing assessment of arthropod biodiversity in ash trees. When not identifying insects, Ridley has contributed a large number of high-quality images of our study insects to our lab group. After finishing his degree, Ridley hopes to pursue a graduate degree in forest entomology.

Louisiana State University, B.S. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Concentration in Wildlife Ecology, 2024

Adrianna joined the Forest Entomology Research Group to assist with daily lab upkeep and to assist graduate students with projects in August 2026. She has assisted with protocol review for image analysis, the creation of trap components, and the troubleshooting of aeration systems to obtain ash tree VOCs.

Louisiana State University, B.S in Natural Resources Ecology and Management, Concentration in Conservation Biology, Anticipated Spring 2030