Luke Pfannenstiel​
PhD student in Entomology

My research is focused on studying how natural genetic variation in an insect population affects their response to new pesticides. Many studies have described genetic mutations that develop in insect populations after years of exposure to pesticides, causing them to become resistant. My interest, however, is in studying pesticide response in insects that have not yet developed resistance. By exposing insects to a pesticide which they are naïve to, we can get a good picture of how standing variation in the population causes individuals to be susceptible or tolerant.​
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Email: ljp222@cornell.edu

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