Two-spot cotton leafhopper (TSCL; Amrasca biguttula) is an invasive species first introduced to the continental USA in the end of 2024. In 2025, TSCL spread rapidly across the Southeast, where it poses a considerable threat to cotton and other crops. Using remote sensing, it is possible to detect damage in cotton inflicted by this species.
Prior to 2016-2017, B. tabaci was a relatively minor pest in cotton in the Southeastern USA. Since then, however, whiteflies have emerged as severe pests, responding positively to hot, dry conditions. However, the ecological mechanisms underlying whitefly outbreaks remain incompletely understood. I am investigating how drought influences whitefly outbreaks through changes in trophic interactions among cotton plants, whiteflies, and their natural enemies.
Gene drives allow scientists to genetically modify pest populations in the wild. Despite their promise, concerns remain about effective confinement and off-target effects. Consequently, mathematical and computational modeling plays a central role in gene drive research and development. My ongoing work in this area investigates how gene drive dynamics are influenced by target organism resistance, dispersal, and density dependence.
Tiger mosquitoes are a familiar biting nuisance in suburban North Carolina. As a result, many homeowners spray their yards to keep mosquito numbers down. However, repeated insecticide use can select for resistance. By collecting Ae. albopictus specimens across Raleigh, NC, we uncovered an unprecedented increase in the frequency of insecticide resistance mutations over a short amount of time.
This paper is about the number 1. The number 2 is left for future work.
This paper is about the number 2. The number 3 is left for future work.
This paper is about the number 3. The number 4 is left for future work.
For this project, with the help of Prof. David Hiebeler at the University of Maine, we studied the behavior of a theoretical population of organisms with landscape-dependent fecundity and mortality (exactly which one was varied for different experiments). The poster I prepared for this conference is shown below.
I presented the research I did at the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute at multiple venues, including at the institute itself, the 2018 annual SACNAS conference in San Antonio, TX, and at the 2018 NIMBIoS Undergraduate Research Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee.
I presented some of my personal research of a predator-prey system with parasitic infection at e-BEER in 2020. The poster I made is attached below. Originally the project started out as a fun side project in NetLogo, with the goal of illustrating existence between a predator (represented by sheep), prey (the grass of a pasture), and a parasite ( H. contortus). Eventually it grew to encompass a class project, and I was so interested in the results that I shared them at e-BEER.
I gave a talk virtually at TAGMaC 2020 about the research I did as an undergraduate mathematically modeling the opioid epidemic in Maine. Since then, the project has become more ambitious in studying a general model of the opioid epidemic (for any state) using Maine as a case study. This research was funded in large part by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine.
I gave talks on my gene drive research (how genetic load is modulated by density-dependence) at SMB 2021, SIAM DS21, and as a poster presentation at the GGI 4th annual retreat (see below). A paper summarizing these results will be submitted in the coming months.
I gave a talk at MathFest as part of a contributed paper session on using modeling in differential equations courses. In this talk, I highlighted my own experience using these methods in my mentorship activities, as well as emphasizing the use of computational tools (e.g. NetLogo) to demonstrate important concepts.
Undergraduate course, University 1, Department, 2014
This is a description of a teaching experience. You can use markdown like any other post.
Workshop, University 1, Department, 2015
This is a description of a teaching experience. You can use markdown like any other post.