Principle investigator
Former lab memebers
PhD student
Postdoc
To be filled
Master student
Undergrad student
Principal Investigator
Dr. Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang
Assistant Professor
scottyyang@vt.edu
Dr. Chin-Cheng Scotty Yang is an Assistant Professor at Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and also Principal Investigator of Insect-Microbe & Pathogen Interactions Lab (A.K.A. Yang Lab). Current research in Yang Lab is primarily focused on insect-microbe & pathogen interactions using ants/urban pests and their associated microbes/pathogens as model systems. Approaches to pursue these exciting research projects in the lab include behavior, genetics, genomics and disease transmission ecology. The Yang Lab remains active in the fields of population genetics, invasion ecology and urban pest management.
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PhD student
Fang-Ling Liu (Chloe)
Inspired by the time of my master degree working on behavior and molecular ecology (phylogenetics, flight behavior, endosymbionts) of invasive ambrosia beetles and their parasitoid wasps, I will be working on multiple invasive ant species and their associated microbes (pathogenic or symbiotic), with a particular emphasis on viruses. My work will involve identification of novel viruses in invasive ants, characterization of the host-virus interactions, and ultimately development of viral biocontrol strategies against invasive ants
Undergraduate researcher
Nicolas Gustafson
From a young age, I have been fascinated with ants. Throughout my childhood, I built a hobby for ant keeping - where I became experienced in ant collection and care. It wasn’t until late in high school that I realized the academic potential of myrmecology. I spent my junior summer of high school studying the behavioral and adhesive properties of domestic ants at Villanova University. My interest now is on the potential anticarcinogenic properties of ants and behavioral research. I am also strongly interested in the pathogenic, viral, and microbial properties of ants. I hope to one day be able to create products derived from ants that would be useful in medicinal fields.
MSLFS student
Charly Hartle
I am an insect enjoyer and artist whose interests include plant-insect interactions, coevolution, biological control methods, conservation, and parasitoid-host relationships. Through my research of ant-pathogen interactions, I hope to promote more efficient biological control of invasive ants and support insect biodiversity
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Undergraduate researcher
Liam McMillan
I have always been fascinated by the behavior of arthropods, particularly eusocial Hymenoptera. At home, I keep bees and enjoy watching the complex dynamics of the hive. Ants being similar, I jumped at the opportunity to work in the Yang lab studying the co-infectivity and competition of RNA viruses in the red imported fire ant.