Sierra is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, but now considers herself a true Austinite! She graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science and has her Associates in both Liberal Arts and Chemistry from Blinn. She joined the McMillan Lab in Spring 2024, and her goal is to have a career in mosquito control and surveillance. In her spare time, Sierra loves to go to live concerts, get tattoos, read, and try new crafts. 

Melissa is originally from Naples, Florida but has been living in Toledo, Ohio for the past 20 years. She graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Environmental Biology. She has been working in mosquito control and research for three years but is interested in all insects. She joined the McMillan lab in Spring 2024. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys nature photography, birding, watching television, and collecting insects for her personal collection. 

Stephen holds a BSc. in Biological Sciences and a Masters in Parasitology from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana. Stephen has broad interest in mosquito-borne diseases with over 4 years’ field and laboratory experience in malaria research. He is a former Research Assistant at Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Laboratory and Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, both located at KNUST. Most recently, Stephen served as Programs Coordinator for Centre for Health System Strengthening, a health not-for-profit organization, where he coordinated multiple original projects geared towards improving diagnosis of common arboviruses and respiratory pathogens. 

Esinam has over five years of experience in the entomology related studies from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR). She has a bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science and a master’s degree in Infection Biology from the University of Ghana and University of Glasgow respectively. Her research interests involve the interactions between the mosquito vector, its microbiome and the pathogens they carry. She has worked on projects involving mosquito speciation, bacteria and Plasmodium parasite interactions. Outside of science, she likes to read and watch Korean drama.