People
Principal Investigator
Dr. Brian A. Nault is a Professor & Program Leader in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University’s AgriTech campus in Geneva, New York. For over 25 years, his research and extension program has broadly covered applied insect ecology and vegetable entomology. During this time, Brian and members of his program have focused on understanding the ecology of pests that attack vegetable crops, some of which transmit viruses, and then developing practical, economical and environmentally responsible pest management strategies. His program at Cornell has helped vegetable growers in New York and beyond successfully implement solutions to their pest problems, including new invasive pests, saving millions of dollars. Brian has leveraged over $14 million at Cornell to support his research and extension program and published nearly 140 peer-reviewed papers, several book chapters and hundreds of other research and extension articles. Brian has advised or co-advised 14 graduate students and mentored 11 postdoctoral associates and dozens of undergraduates. His former graduate students and postdoctoral associates hold research positions in academia, government and industry and others have positions with university extension. In addition to serving as Program Leader at Cornell (analogous to Associate Chair), Brian served as the Director of Graduate Studies and led several faculty searches. He has also held leadership roles in the Entomological Society of America, serving as both President and Governing Board Representative of the Eastern Branch. Brian received all three of his degrees in Entomology; his B.S. was from The Ohio State University, M.S. from the University of Georgia, and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University.
ban6@cornell.edu [LinkedIn] [ResearchGate] [Google Scholar]
Division of Effort
Research – 60%
Extension – 35%
Teaching – 5%
Curriculum Vitae [Link]
Graduate Students
Katherine Poulos is a PhD student co-advised by Drs. Brian Nault and Sara Emery. She studies onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) in commercial onion systems with the goals of understanding landscape-scale movement of thrips and improving pest management strategies. Previously, she obtained her masters degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology at Columbia University. Her research there assessed plant associations with the spotted lanternfly across its life cycle using photos posted on iNaturalist. Prior to pursuing graduate studies, she worked as a Horticulturist to maintain several green spaces in New York City. Her experience mitigating pest organisms such as invasive insects in a hands-on manner was instrumental in fostering her interest in integrated pest management and drive to work with growers.
kip9@cornell.edu [LinkedIn] [ResearchGate]
Leo Salgado graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura (UNAG) in Honduras in 2019 with his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences. He then began his master’s degree in Entomology with a minor in Applied Statistics at Louisiana State University (LSU), graduating in 2021. For his Master’s thesis, he worked on a project to elucidate mechanisms that confer resistance in sugarcane (Saccharum spp. L.) to the stem borers Diatraea saccharalis (F.) and Eoreuma loftini (Dyar) in a series of field, laboratory, and greenhouse experiments. In addition to his thesis project, he worked on projects related to the timing, volume, and efficacy of insecticide applications in sugarcane and rice (Oryza sativa).lds223@cornell.edu [LinkedIn] [Google Scholar]
Ollie Vetrovec is a Master’s student in the Nault Lab, and their research interests include insect pest behavior, ecology, and management in vegetable crop systems. They investigate the efficacy of a novel insecticide to control onion maggot (Delia antiqua) and seedcorn maggot (Delia platura), two economically relevant agricultural pests of vegetables that are notoriously difficult to control. They are also interested in assessing the population structure of seedcorn maggots collected from fields of various host crops and in various geographical locations.
mjv77@cornell.edu [ResearchGate]
Postdoctoral Associates
John Mahas is an applied insect ecologist specializing in managing crop pests and vector-borne plant pathogens, currently working as a postdoctoral research associate in Brian Nault’s vegetable entomology lab. He received his B.S. in Biology with a focus in Coastal Ecology from the College of Coastal Georgia, and obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in Entomology from Auburn University. During his M.S., he focused on managing the emerging cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) and its vector, the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii. This was done by quantifying imidacloprid resistance among cotton aphid populations in Alabama while taking a landscape ecology approach to assess the effects of landscape composition on observed LC50 values, along with investigating cultural and chemical control strategies to manage for CLRDV. His interest in landscape ecology and geographic information systems (GIS) then led him to obtain his Graduate Certificate in GISc at Auburn University. The overarching goal of his Ph.D. research was to assess the role of the aphid vector in the epidemiology of CLRDV. This was done by characterizing the spatiotemporal distribution, abundance, and seasonal dynamics of cotton-infesting aphids, investigating how different biotic and abiotic factors influenced CLRDV incidence and vector abundance in cotton fields, and by performing gut content analyses to determine the dietary history of the vector before colonizing cotton.
At Cornell, John’s current research centers on the ecology and management of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, in sweet corn. He monitors moth populations to improve trapping methods, develop predictive models for corn earworm risk, and refine action thresholds based on trap captures. Additionally, he investigates chemical and cultural control strategies to optimize management efforts for lepidopteran pests, monitor pest susceptibility to Bt toxins and insecticides, and assess overwintering success and spring emergence timing of corn earworm populations. His career aspiration is to apply understanding of crop pest ecology to develop sustainable management solutions, mentor and educate the next generation of scientists, and to develop economically sound solutions for today’s growers.
jwm366@cornell.edu [LinkedIn] [ResearchGate] [Google Scholar]
Staff
Sarah Caldwell is the lead technician and lab manager for the Nault Lab. Sarah grew up in Rochester, NY and earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology and English Literature from Houghton College in 2018. After discovering a love of field work during a term in Texas Conservation Corps, she joined the Cornell Vegetable Program as a technician in 2019 and assisted with applied research in crops such as onions, garlic, cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, snap bean, peppers, and eggplant. Sarah gained field experience including scouting vegetable crops for insect pests and disease, working directly with growers to lead scouting programs in two muck onion-growing regions in NY, mapping risk areas for Phytophthora blight, and producing a fact sheet on the invasive insect swede midge.
Sarah joined the Nault Lab in 2024 and is responsible for field trial establishment, data collection, coordination of the summer crew, lab bioassays, and insect colony care. She enjoys contributing to research to support the sustainability of local food systems and working with growers to better understand ecology and integrated management of pest insects.
sv483@cornell.edu [LinkedIn]
Lab Alumni
Graduate Students
Lidia Komondy, 2024, Ph.D. (Advisor) [LinkedIn]
Erica Moretti, 2020, M.S. (Advisor) [LinkedIn]
Ricardo Perez Alvarez, 2019, Ph.D. (Committee member only)
Ashley B. Leach, 2019, Ph.D. (Advisor) [LinkedIn]
Nelson Milano, 2018, M.S. (Co-Advisor) [LinkedIn]
Erik A. Smith, 2015, Ph.D. (Advisor) [LinkedIn]
Dan Olmstead, 2015, M.S. (Committee member only) [LinkedIn]
Elaine J. Fok, 2013, M.S. (Advisor)
Saurabh Gautam, 2013, M.S. (Committee member only)
Erik A. Smith, 2013, M.S., (Advisor) [LinkedIn]
John Diaz-Montano, 2010, Ph.D. (Committee member only)
Caroline Boutard-Hunt, 2008, M.P.S. (Committee member only)
Francisco Badenes-Perez, 2005, Ph.D. (Co-Advisor)
Benjamin Werling, 2003, M.S. (Advisor)
Sharon McDonald (Virginia Tech), 2001, Ph.D. (Co-Advisor)
Postdocs
Dr. Marcelo Dimase, 2024-2025, University of Florida (2024) [LinkedIn]
Dr. Pin-Chu Lai, 2021-2023, University of Georgia (2021) [LinkedIn]
Dr. Ramandeep Sandhi, 2021-2021, Montana State University (2020) [LinkedIn]
Dr. Karly Regan, 2019-2021, Penn State University (2019) [LinkedIn]
Dr. Lindsy Iglesias, 2018-2021, University of Florida (2018) [LinkedIn]
Dr. Rebecca Schmidt, 2015-2017, Washington State University (2015)
Dr. Anders Huseth, 2013-2015, University of Wisconsin (2013)
Dr. Jessica Petersen, 2011-2014, Iowa State University [LinkedIn]
Dr. Cynthia Hsu, 2007-2012, University of Minnesota (2007) [LinkedIn]
Dr. Derek Artz, 2008-2010, University of Miami (FL) (2005)
Staff
Nate Hesler, 2023-2024, Technician I [LinkedIn]
Matt Garlick, 2021-2022, Technician I
Riley Harding, 2016-2021, Technician III [LinkedIn]
Kellie Damann, 2018-2019, Research Assistant [LinkedIn]
Mason Clark, 2018, Research Assistant [LinkedIn]
Molly Cappiello, 2015-2017, Research Assistant
Dan Olmstead, 2015-2016, Research Support Specialist [LinkedIn]
Mary Lou Hessney, 2001-2010, Technician IV
Summer Scholars (Undergraduate Students)
Layton Rosen, 2023, Purdue University [LinkedIn]
Ollie Vetrovec, 2022, Franciscan University of Steubenville
Isabella Yannuzzi, 2019, Cornell University [LinkedIn]
Lauren Ebels, 2018, Calvin College
Deanna Gentner, 2017, Cornell University
Erica Moretti, 2016, Allegheny College [LinkedIn]
Rachel Wallace, 2016, Cornell University [LinkedIn]
Sierra Short, 2015, Mary Baldwin College (VA)
Emily Justus, 2014, Purdue University
Alexandra Gresov, 2013, Cornell University
Martin Holdrege, 2012, SUNY-ESF
Elizabeth Miller, 2012, Saint Vincent College (PA)
Kathryn Cappiello, 2011, SUNY Brockport