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The Insect Stress Biology Lab at University of Kentucky specializes in the molecular and physiological adaptations of insects to extreme environments. We are also interested in using genetic technologies to improve insect pest control. Our research approach is integrative, and the lab’s work spans both the basic principles and potential applications of insect stress biology. Click on the tabs above to learn more about the lab.
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News
December 2023: Cleverson Lima is back on the boat to Antarctica, where he begins an epic five month-long solo field season to continue his research on Antarctic insects.
November 2023: Lab members Nick, Ellie, Mike, and Noor traveled to National Harbor, Maryland for the annual Entomological Society of America meeting, where Ellie and Noor presented updates on their research.
September 2023: Congratulations to PhD student Ellie McCabe for having a paper accepted in Environmental Entomology. PhD student Laura Unfried is also an author.
August 2023: Cleverson Lima traveled to New Zealand to present his research at the Scientific Council for Antarctic Research Biology Meeting.
June 2023: Congratulations to PhD student Ellie McCabe for receiving a USDA Predoctoral Fellowship to continue her research on invasive fruit flies.
May 2023: Welcome to postdoc Muhammad Noor ul Ane, who will be working on thermal tolerance in flies!
April 2023: Congratulations to Fernan Perez for successfully defending his PhD! Fernan will be heading to Florida for a postdoc at USDA ARS.
February 2023: A team of five, including Jack Devlin and Cleverson Lima, traveled to Antarctica visited more than 30 islands collecting midges for our NSF-funded work on Antarctic insects.
February 2023: Welcome to new postdoc Mike Darrington, who will be working on RNAi in Colorado Potato Beetle!
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July 2022: Lab members Laura Unfried, Jack Devlin, Clev Lima, and Mizuki Yoshida will be presenting work at the International Symposium for the Environmental Physiology of Plants and Ectotherms in Rennes, France.
June 2022: Congrats to Ellie McCabe, who passed her qualifying exams and is now a PhD candidate!
June 2022: PhD candidate Fernan Perez is presenting his PhD work at a Gordon Research Conference on genetic control of insects.
June 2022: Congratulations to PhD candidate Jack Devlin, whose work on winter warming in Antarctic insects was published in Functional Ecology. Jack also received a grant from the Antarctic Science Bursary to investigate microplastic contamination in Antarctic insects.
April 2022: Welcome to visiting scholar Mizuki Yoshida from Osaka City University, who will be staying with us for three months.
March 2022: Congratulations to PhD candidate Emily Nadeau, whose work on lady beetle transcriptomics was published in Insects.
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December 2021: Welcome to new postdoc Jason Solocinski, who joined the lab to lead projects on Drosophila cryopreservation.
May 2021: Congratulations to Dr. Nick Teets, newly minted Associate Professor!
April 2021: Work led by former undergraduate Aerianna Littler and her postdoc mentor Mark Garcia was recent published: Laboratory diet influences cold tolerance in a genotype-dependent manner in Drosophila melanogaster. You can view the article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643321000544
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October 2020: Work led by PhD Leslie Potts on energy balance and metabolic changes in an overwintering wolf spider was recently published. You can view the article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022191020302560
October 2020: Youtube channel SciShow did a feature on the Antarctic midge! You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeeNyOAcviI
September 2020: Sad farewell to Justin Bredlau, who is now a AAAS Science Policy Fellow working for the USDA in Washington, DC.
July 2020: Sad farewell to Leslie Potts and Mark Garcia, two of the original members of the lab. Leslie was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at University of Alaska Fairbanks and will be working on ecological responses to Arctic warming, with a particular emphasis on soil arthropods. Mark is heading south to University of Louisiana Lafayette as a visiting assistant professor, where he will teach physiology courses and lead a research program. Both will be missed!
July 2020: Work led by recent PhD Leslie Potts on the fine-scale spatial ecology of the Antarctic midge was accepted for publication in Oecologia. You can view the article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-020-04714-9
May 2020: Congratulations to postdoc Justin Bredlau, who was awarded a AAAS Science Policy Fellowship!
May 2020: Work led by postdoc Melise Lecheta on the genetic basis of thermal tolerance was accepted for publication in Frontiers in Genetics. You can view the article here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2020.00658/full
May 2020: A lesson plan developed and tested by Leslie Potts and Mark Garcia was accepted for publication in the pedagogy journal CourseSource. You can view the article here: https://www.coursesource.org/courses/chilling-in-the-cold-using-thermal-acclimation-to-demonstrate-phenotypic-plasticity-in
May 2020: Work by postdoc Mark Garcia and two undergraduate assistants was accepted for publication in Evolution! You can view the article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.14025
April 2020: Congrats to Emily Nadeau, who passed her qualifying exams and is now a PhD candidate!
April 2020: Congrats to Leslie Potts, who passed her PhD defense and is now a certified expert on cold-adapted spiders and insects!
March 2020: Congrats to Fernan Perez, who passed his qualifying exams and is now a PhD candidate!
February 2020: Work by postdoc Dave Awde and coauthors on high-throughput measurements of thermal tolerance was accepted in JoVE! You can view the article here: https://www.jove.com/t/61186/high-throughput-assays-of-critical-thermal-limits-in-insects
January 2020: Welcome to the new PhD student Jack Devlin!
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August 2019:The Teets Lab is seeking MS and PhD students with a focus on comparative physiology and genomics in extreme-adapted insects. The students will conduct field work in Antarctica! Consult the “Opportunities” tab for details. UPDATE: Both positions are filled.
May 2019: Welcome to the new postdoc David Awde and the new PhD student Laura Unfried!
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September 2018: Welcome to the new postdoc Justin Bredlau!
September 2018: We have an opening for a new PhD student to study genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of thermal plasticity. See job ad or consult the “Opportunities” tab for details.
May 2018: We have an opening for a postdoctoral associate in insect biotechnology. See job ad or consult the “Opportunities” tab for details. UPDATE: Position Filled
March 2018: Welcome to new postdoc Melise Lecheta!
January 2018: Welcome to new PhD student Fernan Perez!
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September 2017: We have an opening for a full-time technician. See job ad or consult the “Opportunities” tab for details.
September 2017: We have an opening for a PhD student in insect biotechnology. See job ad or consult the “Opportunities” tab for details.
July 2017: The Teets lab welcomes a new PhD student, Emily Nadeau. Emily will be working on the cell biology of cold tolerance, among other things.
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September 2016: The Teets lab is in the market for some students, both undergraduate and PhD. See Opportunities tab for details! UPDATE: PhD Position Filled
June 2016: The Teets lab is pleased to announce that Mark Garcia is joining the lab as a postdoc, effective September 1, 2016.
April 2016: The Teets Lab is hiring! We currently have openings for a postdoctoral associate and a paid undergraduate research assistant. See “Opportunities” tab for more details! UPDATE: Both positions are filled.
February 2016: The Teets Lab has an opening for a PhD student to begin summer or fall, 2016. See “Opportunities” tab for more details.
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November 2015: Position available for Research Technician. See Opportunities Tab for more details. UPDATE: Position Filled
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