Assistant Professor of Entomology
Location: 324 Entomology (office), 320 Entomology (lab)
Tel: 951-827- 5444
E-mail: kerry.mauck@ucr.edu

Education
Ph.D., Entomology, 2012, The Pennsylvania State University
B.S., Biology, 2005, The College of New Jersey

Biography
The spread of insect-borne diseases is mediated by complex interactions among pathogens, their hosts, and insect vectors, but our understanding of the physiological and ecological mechanisms governing these interactions is limited, despite clear significance for agriculture, ecology, and human health. Chemistry invariably plays a central role in mediating such interactions; yet, relatively little work to date has addressed the chemical ecology of insect-vectored diseases. My research focuses on investigating the biochemical mechanisms mediating plant pathogen transmission in complex ecological settings and their implications for host plant interactions with other organisms. We are particularly interested in studying how vector-borne pathogens of plants and animals might evolve to alter traits of their hosts in ways that influence the frequency and nature of interactions between hosts and insect vectors. We also explore how pathogen-induced phenotypic shifts affect interactions between hosts and other (vector or non-vector) organisms in ways that modify food webs, alter the outcome of competitive interactions, and influence flows of energy and nutrients.

Awards
2014 ETH Postdoctoral Researcher Fellowship
2012 Henry and Sylvia Richardson Research Grant, Entomological Foundation
2012 Pennsylvania Soybean Board Research Grant
2011 USDA AFRI NIFA Pre-doctoral Fellowship
2010 NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant
2009 Penn State College of Agriculture Competitive Grant
2007 Sigma Xi Grant in Aid of Research
2006 University Fellowship, Penn State University