Geoff Attardo

I am an assistant professor with a background in entomology, molecular biology and genetics. My work focuses on the reproductive biology of insect vectors of human disease. The primary subjects of my work have been mosquitoes and tsetse flies. My graduate work at Michigan State University dealt with understanding how female mosquitoes regulate gene expression in response to blood feeding. In my work as a postdoctoral associate and research scientist I studied the reproductive biology and genetics of tsetse flies, unique insects that lactate and give birth to live young! My lab will continue to explore the fascinating biology underlying the reproduction of this important vector insect. This work covers multiple areas of reproduction in tsetse including nutrition; analysis of genes associated with reproduction; the role symbiotic bacteria play in tsetse reproduction; and the interactions between insect vectors and the parasites they vector.