Srabani Saha (Ph.D. student)

M.S. Agriculture and Agrifood, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2024

Email: ssaha9@lsu.edu

Research: Deciphering the influence of miRNA in enhancing pest management; insight from soybean and stinkbug interaction dynamics.

Learning and exploring continuously fuel my curiosity and zest for life. It is a journey I am excited to continue, forever expanding my horizons.  

Yaping Ding (Ph.D. student)

M.S. Plant Protection, Jilin university, 2024

B.S. Agriculture, Henan University of Science and Technology, 2021

Email: YDing@agcenter.lsu.edu

Research interest: 

Focus on elucidating the regulatory mechanisms, particularly microRNA dictating gene expression in aphid bacteriocytes.

Miranda Logan (M.S. Student)

B.S. Animal Sciences, Louisiana State University, 2026

Email: Mlogan@agcenter.lsu.edu

Research: Explore symbiont-mediated RNAi to combat the New World screwworm. 

Hobbies: I love to bake; I routinely make birthday cakes year-round and like to make cookie tins around Christmas. My other hobbies include crocheting, collecting and pinning insects, hiking, and playing board games and video games.

Leighton E Flanagan

Under graduate student, 2024

Junior in Applied Coastal Environmental Science with a Minor in Music

Louisiana State University

Email: lflana2@lsu.edu

Research: 

Identifying genes that influence aphid fitness through plant-mediated virus-induced gene silencing. 

Hobbies: 

Everything art, particularly music. I love to play in the concert ensembles at LSU, practice solo repertoire, sing, and play in smaller ensembles such as duets or the LSU tuba-euphonium ensemble. I also love to be out in nature and to be active outside, particularly through walking, hiking, playing soccer, or playing pickleball. 

Andie Gonzales Diaz 

M.S. Entomology, LSU

M.S. Plant Pathology, Physiology & Weed Science, Virginia Tech, 2020

B.S. Engineer-Agronomy, Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego, 2012

Email: agonzalesdiaz@agcenter.lsu.edu