My team's research explores the microbiome of insects, with a focus on how they shape the host’s olfactory circuits. By studying the mechanisms with which microbes change the insect’s sense of smell and their resulting behavior (i.e., host-seeking), we will be able to identify novel mechanisms for keeping biting insects at bay. The discoveries we make will be particularly impactful in developing cost-effective interventions for mitigating insect-borne diseases in low-resource settings. Our work involves the use of genetic and behavioral approaches, electrophysiology, field sampling, metagenomics, and transcriptomics to reveal the significance of this insect-microbe inter-kingdom engagement.
Program Faculty
- Jennifer Sun
- Assistant Professor
- Department: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
- Graduate Program(s): Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
- Major Research Interest(s): Behavior, Developmental Biology, Microbiome, Neuroscience
- Research Techniques: Biochemistry, Genetics, Genomics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics
- Research Organism(s): Bacteria, Cell lines, Drosophila
- Rotation Faculty
- Phone: 1.8489325638
- Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
- Lipman Hall, Room 218
- 76 Lipman Drive
- New Brunswick, NJ 08901-0231
- Key Words: Microbial symbiosis; Insect behavior; Chemosensation; Interkingdom communication
- Lab Site URL