Rhys Campo
Research Assistant
Email: campoj@ufl.edu
I recently graduated with a B.S. in Entomology & Nematology in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. During my time at the Kawahara Lab I have been working on a project measuring environment-driven phenotypic plasticity in the larvae of the pest species Plodia interpunctella. Insect behavior is my main area of interest and there is still a lot we can learn, especially with less-studied species.
Gina Crespo
Research Assistant
Email: g.crespo@ufl.edu
I recently graduated with a B.S. in biology in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida. I am interested in studying evolution and genetics. At the Kawahara Lab, I have helped with projects focused on moth behavior and phylogenetics. I have worked with digital images of specimens in the family Saturniidae, created wing vouchers, and will soon begin to assist with DNA extractions.
Jose I. Martinez
Curatorial Assistant
Email: joemartinez@ufl.edu
I am a curatorial assistant for the Kawahara Lab at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity. I have been a research associate of the McGuire Center at the Florida Museum of Natural History since 2015 and recently graduated with my Ph.D in entomology (Spring 2022). Before I joined the museum, I received a B.S. in biology from the Conkal Institute of Technology and a M.Sc. in tropical natural resources management at the Autonomous University of Yucatan. My research background includes ecology and IPM especially in Lepidoptera and Neuroptera, and lately I have been specializing in systematics, taxonomy, evolutionary history, behavior, and conservation of owlet moths and relatives (Noctuoidea). In my current position I oversee the curation of the Noctuoidea collection, identification of taxa related with the ongoing projects in the Kawahara Lab, and introducing students to collection management in the McGuire Center.
Taylor Pierson
Molecular Lab Manager
Email: piersont@ufl.edu
I am the molecular lab manager for the Kawahara Lab and the McGuire Center. I work with a wide range of personnel in the lab on various projects relating to phylogenetics and morphology, digitization, and the conservation of Lepidoptera. In addition to lab work, I’m interested in outreach and education and the role of natural history museums in the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity. I currently have a B.S. in Biology from the University of Florida.
David Plotkin
Project Manager
Email: dplotkin@ufl.edu
I have been a member of the Kawahara Lab since 2013, first as a lab tech, then as a Ph.D student (graduated 2020), and am currently the project manager. My research background is with systematics and taxonomy of geometrid moths, but in my current position I assist with data analysis, grant report writing, and manuscript writing for a variety of ongoing projects in the Kawahara Lab, spanning a wide range of topics related to Lepidoptera evolution, genomics, and behavior. I also assist with supervision of students and postdocs, and management of our electronic resources and data. Before joining the Kawahara Lab, I received a B.S. in Biology from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.S. in Agriculture & Life Sciences (concentration in Entomology) from Mississippi State University.