Diversity and Inclusion Statement
NAILS strives to be inclusive of all people and identities in order to create a sense of belonging for those passionate about insect biodiversity and a safe place for its study. Our lab values and celebrates diversity in all of its forms and the unique perspectives it brings to the scientific process.
Principal Investigator
Grey T. Gustafson
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Grey earned his Ph.D. in biology from the University of New Mexico with his dissertation focused on the systematics and evolution of whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae). Subsequently, he was an NIH IRACDA postdoctoral fellow at the University of Kansas and served as an adjunct lecturer at Haskell Indian Nations University. In fall of 2020 he joined Northern Arizona University as an assistant professor in the Biological Sciences department. At NAU he teaches courses in entomology, evolution, and phylogenetics. He also serves as the curator of NAU's Arthropod Collection.
His research is focused on understanding the evolutionary history and diversification patterns of aquatic and predaceous beetles within the suborder Adephaga. He is especially interested in the evolution of whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae) and the tiger beetle tribe Manticorini. Originally from Golden, Colorado, he is quite at home in Flagstaff and the mountains of Northern Arizona. Here is his current CV |
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Graduate students
Rachel D. Glynn
Masters studentRachel holds an Associate of Science from Independence Community College and Bachelors of Science in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology from the University of Kansas (KU). She previously worked on the taxonomy of hydrophilid genus Chasmogenus, describing over 20 new species. Rachel has also received several scholarships from KU entomology and the Richard Fall Memorial Scholarship from the Entomological Society of America to conduct her research.
Her current project is on the phylogeography and population genetics of the Mojave Giant Tiger Beetle, Amblycheila schwarzi. Her work will analyze UCE loci extracted from both museum and living specimens in order to test the Mojave Assembly Model. Email: [email protected] |
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Joseph Benzel
Ph.D. studentJoseph earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology at Rocky Mountain College in Billings Montana and his master’s degree in Bioagricultural Sciences at Colorado State University. He previously worked on a generic revision of the North American species in the weevil genus Pachyrhinus, a series of screening aids for scolytines and other wood destroying beetles for the USDA, and the illustrative work for the monograph Bark Beetles of the West Indies by Dr. Donald Bright.
His current project is a comprehensive revision of the weevil genus Dyslobus with the goal of confirming reports of parthenogenesis within some of the species. His primary hobby is reading a wide variety of material both fiction and nonfiction. Email: [email protected] |
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Teagan Mulford
Ph.D. student
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Teagan earned her master's degree in Biology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Her master's thesis was a generic revision of the Marauding robber fly, Proctacanthus. She has also worked on evaluating restoration practices through aquatic invertebrate biomonitoring and making invertebrate identification more approachable to the general public.
Her current project is a generic revision of the Giant Robber fly in the Nearctic, Promachus. She is also interested in questions regarding speciation, hybridization, and phylogeography. In her free time, Teagan likes to think about flies, read, play video games, and snuggle with her cat, Samantha. Email: [email protected] |
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Jamie Ramirez
Ph.D. student
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Jamie earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Entomology from the University of California, Riverside. Her previous work focused on uncovering the evolutionary relationship of Porcelloderes, a small, leaf-litter dwelling assassin bug from the Eastern Arc sky islands. This resulted in the description of new species Porcelloderes harles (named after her cat, Harley) and sparking interest in sky island systems. She also conducted a taxonomic revision for the assassin bug genus Koenigsbergia, with the description of new species Koenigsbergia explicative, both Baltic Amber fossils.
Her current project includes phylogenetic and biogeographical analysis of the nocturnal tiger beetle genus, Amblycheila. This will include Amblycheila baroni, the Great Montane Beetle, an endemic species in the sky islands of southern Arizona. She is hoping to answer questions regarding speciation, population genetics, and ancestral state reconstruction. In her free time, Jamie likes to watch movies, listen to true crime podcasts, read Stephen King, listen to music, and hang out with her cats. Email: [email protected] |
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Undergraduate students
Kyleigh Bachelor
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Kyleigh joined the lab in Fall of 2022 and is working on a degree in Microbiology at NAU. She is interested in getting experience conducting scientific research and learning methods for molecular work. Currently she is performing DNA extraction and quantification, as well as helping collect data and specimens in the field associated with the Mojave Giant Tiger Beetle project.
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Collaborators
The Moore lab (University of Arizona)
The Moore Lab will be collaborating on future projects involving the Madrean Sky Islands of Arizona. Visit Wendy Moore's website to learn more about their research visit: https://www.moorearthropods.com/
The Toussaint Lab (The Natural History Museum of Geneva)
The Toussaint Lab will be collaborating on the Manticores and Giant Tigers project! To see more about their research visit: https://toussaintlab.com
David Pearson (Arizona State University)
Dave Pearson will be collaborating on the Manticores and Giant Tigers project! To learn more about David visit: https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/person/david-pearson/
Daniel Duran (Rowan University)
Dan Duran will be collaborating on the Manticores and Giant Tigers project! To learn more about Dan visit: https://earth.rowan.edu/departments/Environmental%20Science/faculty/
