Teresa is originally from Mexico, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the Autonomous Metropolitan University. She is currently pursuing her PhD. Her current research focuses on developing effective management strategies for key insect pests, including Lygus bugs, aphids, and grasshoppers in lentil cultivation. Teresa is also deeply passionate about science outreach and actively participates in communicating science to diverse audiences.
Jeremy is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan where he completed a B.Sc in Agriculture, majoring in agronomy. His NSERC-USRA as well as his 4th year thesis research focused on plant-vector-pathogen interactions. He is now a PhD student working on economic entomology and management of the lesser clover leaf weevil (Hypera nigrirostris) and their impacts on red clover (Trifolium pratense) seed production in the Canadian Prairies.
Sainey is from The Gambia, where he earned his Diploma in Education from The Gambia College in 2016. In 2022, he graduated with a BSc. in Agriculture from The University of The Gambia, School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. Presently, he is pursuing an MSc. in Plant Sciences, focusing his research on investigating the impact of phytoplasma infection and various host plants on the Aster leafhopper microbiome.
Rodensky is interested in numeous aspects of entomology, biology and agriculture. His research project, in collaboration with USask and CDC pulse breeders and geneticists, aims to identify sources of pea aphid resistance in lentils.
Evan earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan and performed his undergraduate research in our lab. That work employed EPG to evaluate predator effects on aphid feeding. Evan then joined our lab to earn his MSc where he will be using eDNA to examine insect diversity associated with novel forage plants.
Aqsa's research explores the effect of mixed virus infection on pea plants (Pisum sativum) and their transmission dynamics via the Pea aphid (Acrythosiphon pisum). Specifically, it explores the interaction between Pea seed-borne mosaic virus (PSbMV) and other co-infecting viruses. Mixed viral infections are known to alter host physiology in unpredictable ways. With the help of controlled inoculation and high-resolution phenotyping, the study aimed to examine virus-virus interactions, including synergistic, antagonistic, and neutral effects on health, growth, and overall productivity of the pea plant. Moreover, it assesses aphid transmission efficiency under single and mixed virus infections to determine the paramount shifts in disease spread patterns. The central hypothesis states that co-infection involving PSbMV will increase the pathogenesis and viral load, eventually leading to more severe phenotypic consequences in pea plants; moreover, also targets more insights into aphid-mediated transmission in complex and virus-specific ways. The findings from this research will give us a better understanding of plant-virus and vector ecology. This study can give important insights for developing integrated disease management strategies in legume crops.
Giri's research aims to identify genes for virus resistance in lentils.
Brianne earned a BSc in biology from the USask and performed her NSERC-USRA research in our lab. She is now an MSc student in Plant Sciences. Brianne's research focuses on sampling methods and the application of smart traps for monitoring Aster leafhoppers.
Grace's research is in applied entomology and plant virology. Her work focuses on viruses infecting pulse crops which are transmitted by pea aphids.
Tyler is from Leduc, Alberta where he received his diploma in Crop Technology from Lakeland College in 2019. He went on to complete his B.Sc. in Agriculture, majoring in agronomy in 2022 at the University of Saskatchewan. He is now a M.Sc. student developing species distribution models to investigate which biotic and abiotic factors affect pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) migration. He is also researching how temperature affects the development and reproduction of pea aphids, while also seeing how Pea Seed borne Mosaic Virus develops under various temperatures in pea plants.
