I want to uncover the roles that TSWV-interacting proteins (TIPs) and their governing genes play within western flower thrips growth and development as well as viral acquisition and transmission. My hope is that discovering the function of these key determinants of vector competence will enable the development of new integrated pest management strategies.

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is considered one of the ten most devastating plant viruses in the world. This virus is spread by an insect vector called the western flower thrips and insecticide-based pest management strategies against it are all together ineffective due to the pest’s ability to rapidly develop resistance. The foundational idea behind my current research is that new methods of pest management based on biotechnological approaches are necessary to combat the spread of TSVW. To this end, I want to uncover the roles that TSWV-interacting proteins (TIPs) and their governing genes play within thrips growth and development as well as viral acquisition and transmission. My hope is that discovering the function of these key determinants of vector competence will enable the development of new integrated pest management strategies.

Prior to my graduate studies, I worked as the lead annotator of the Diaphorina citri Citrus CURES genome project. This initiative focused on manually curating key genes of interest within D. citri, the Asian citrus psyllid. This insect vector is responsible for transmitting citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). This disease is caused by the spread of the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Due to the economic impact of this disease on citrus crops, D. citri has been identified as an important target for novel management strategies such as RNAi and other molecular therapeutics. To make this possible, high quality gene models must be available to construct the oligonucleotides necessary in RNAi or similar techniques. To aid in the development of such strategies, the community driven Citrus CURES project works to annotate of the D. citri genome to characterize important gene families and pathways.