{"id":4,"date":"2012-08-30T18:03:05","date_gmt":"2012-08-30T18:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/entomology.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:24:14","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/people\/","title":{"rendered":"People"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Master of Coin<\/h2>\n

\"Dr.Dave Crowder
\n<\/strong>Professor of Entomology<\/em>
\nDirector of the WSU Decision Aid Systems<\/em>
\nAssistant Director – WSU Molecular Plant Sciences Graduate Program<\/em><\/p>\n

Dave oversees what has been described as “a tight shipwreck”. CV<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Lab Coordinator<\/h2>\n

\"\"Liesl Oeller<\/strong><\/p>\n

Liesl has the lab’s hardest jobs – to keep Dave focused and limit the tasks he is responsible for. They have done these jobs amazingly well since 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Postdocs and Research Professors<\/h2>\n

\"\"Dr. Javier Gutierrez Illan (Research Associate Professor)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Javier uses ecological modelling to study invasive species and is a major contributor to the Entomology department through his efforts in teaching and pesticide education training. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Gengping Zhu (Research Assistant Professor)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gengping is interested in distributional ecology and ecological niche modeling, with a particular focus on invasive insect pests. He became a Research Assistant Professor in 2022.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Diego Rincon (Postdoc)
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diego is evaluating pest population dynamics. He received his BS from Pontificia Universidad and his PhD from Ohio State. His work is “old school”<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Riley Anderson (Postdoc)
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Riley is the lab’s statistics guru. He received his BS from the U Nevada Reno and his PhD in Biology from Wesleyan. He lives on a boat in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Owusu Aidoo (Postdoc)
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Owusu focuses on modeling invasive species distributions and impacts. He has a MS from the U of Ghana and a PhD from the University of Bonn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Jose-Maria (Chema) Garcia Carrasco (Postdoc)
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chema is interested in disease ecology and pathogeography, and is working on tick-borne diseases impacting cattle in the US and North America.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Graduate Students<\/h2>\n

\"\"Emily Rampone
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate in Entomology<\/p>\n

Emily is focused on helping farmers make decisions. She received her BA from the U of Vermont and has a decade of experience working in the Senate.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Camille Wagstaff
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate in Molecular Plant Sciences<\/p>\n

Camille focuses on insect-borne pathogens and received her BS in Anthropology from Boise State. She is active in MPS and doing outreach.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Salena Helmreich
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate in Entomology<\/p>\n

Salena is assessing the biology and health of wild and managed bees in various crop systems<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Chase Baerlocher
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate in Molecular Plant Sciences<\/p>\n

Chase is studying how biotic and abiotic stressors affect legume-rhizobia interactions in dryland cropping systems.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Taydin Macon
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate in Entomology<\/p>\n

Taydin received his BS in Physics and BA in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount. His work focuses on honey bee health.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Michelle Marcano
\n<\/strong>MS Candidate in Entomology<\/p>\n

Michelle is interested in spatial ecology of vector-borne pathogens. She has a BS from Simon Bolivar University and a MS from Malaga U.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Tay Stevens
\n<\/strong>PhD Candidate in Molecular Plant Sciences<\/p>\n

Tay received their BS from Queens University of Charlotte and then worked at the University of Utah. As an MPS student they are exploring host exudates in a biofuel crop and a traditional First Foods of the Nim\u00edipuu.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Technical Staff<\/h2>\n

\"\"Jesse Trammell
\n<\/strong>Decision Aid System Lead Developer<\/p>\n

Jesse oversees the DAS team working on our tree fruit, potato, and other platforms. He is based in Charlotte, NC.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Christopher Gorman
\n<\/strong> Biological Science Technician<\/p>\n

Chris is conducting molecular diagnostics of plant pathogens in potato pests of the Columbia Basin. He received his MS in Plant Pathology from Auburn and is based in Yakima, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Izzy McDonald
\n<\/strong>Decision Aid System Developer<\/p>\n

Izzy joined the lab in 2023 to assist with research on codling moth population dynamics modeling. After graduation he became a developer for the Decision Aid System. He is currently based in Seattle, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Undergraduate Students<\/h2>\n

\"\"Abigail Clough
\n<\/strong>Pursuing BS in Zoology (Entomology minor)<\/p>\n

Abigail joined the lab fall of 2024 and is assisting with various molecular ecology projects<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Madelyn Clemenson
\n<\/strong>Pursuing BS in Microbiology<\/p>\n

Madelyn assists with molecular projects to characterize plant\u2013virus relationships.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Anica Reimer
\n<\/strong>Pursuing BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology<\/p>\n

Anica assists with molecular projects to characterize plant\u2013virus relationships.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Lanie Call
\n<\/strong>Pursuing BS in Horticulture<\/p>\n

Lanie is a senior in Horticulture who is doing a research internship on the molecular ecology of aphid feeding on pea plants.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Ben Swanzey
\n<\/strong> Pursuing BS in Computer Science<\/p>\n

Ben is working on upgrading the infrastucture of our Decision Aid System platform as part of a computer science capstone project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Jack Underhill
\n<\/strong> Pursuing BS in Computer Science<\/p>\n

Jack is working on upgrading the infrastucture of our Decision Aid System platform as part of a computer science capstone project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Trisha Teredesai
\n<\/strong> Pursuing BS in Computer Science<\/p>\n

Trisha is working on upgrading the infrastucture of our Decision Aid System platform as part of a computer science capstone project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dante Meyer
\n<\/strong> Pursuing BS in Computer Science<\/p>\n

Dante is working on upgrading the infrastucture of our Decision Aid System platform as part of a computer science capstone project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Kieran McHugh
\n<\/strong> Pursuing BS in Computer Science<\/p>\n

Kieran is working on upgrading the infrastucture of our Decision Aid System platform for insect monitoring as part of a computer science capstone project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Son Nguyen
\n<\/strong> Pursuing BS in Computer Science<\/p>\n

Son is working on upgrading the infrastucture of our Decision Aid System platform for insect monitoring as part of a computer science capstone project.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

Lab Alumni<\/h2>\n

\"\"Dr. Saumik Basu <\/strong>
\n(Postdoc 2017-2023, Research Assistant Professor, 2023-2024)<\/p>\n

Saumik studied molecular and biochemical aspects of virus transmission by aphids. He is now an Assistant Professor of Entomology at the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Savannah Bartel<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Postdoc 2022-2024)<\/p>\n

Savannah evaluated effects of Tasmanian devil declines on scavenging food webs. She currently works as a research scientist at the US Geological Survey in Boise, ID.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\"\"Olivia Shaffer
\n<\/strong>MS in Entomology (2021-2023)<\/p>\n

Olivia tested if stability of plant-pollinator networks was mediated by landscape composition. She is currently a data scientist based in Spokane, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Dowen Jocson
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2018-2023)<\/p>\n

Dowen worked on acoustic mating disruption for pear psylla. She currently works for the WSU Pesticide Education Program in Pullman, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Jillian Foutz
\n<\/strong>MS in Entomology (2020-2023)<\/p>\n

Jillian worked with beet leafhopper to understand how the insects move across landscapes. She currently works as a research scientist based in Yakima, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Megan Blance
\n<\/strong>MS in Entomology (2020-2022)<\/p>\n

Megan worked on understanding outbreaks of insect pest populations in cereal crops. She is currently a data scientist for Wilbur Ellis based in Seattle, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Vera Pfeiffer<\/strong>
\nPostdoc (2019-2022)<\/p>\n

Vera used landscape genetics to study how canola influenced bumble bees. She is currently working for the Washington Department of Ecology in Olympia, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Abigail Cohen
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2016-2021)<\/p>\n

Abigail assessed factors affecting psyllid populations and Liberibacter. She is currently a postdoc at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Ben Lee
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2016-2021)<\/p>\n

Ben explored how predators affected the spread of plant viruses. He is an Agroecologist for the California Department of Food and Agriculture in Davis, CA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Pooja Malhotra
\n<\/strong>MS in Entomology (2019-2021)<\/p>\n

Pooja conducted research on how rhizobial bacteria affect interactions between aphids, pea plants, and viruses. She works as a grant coordinator at the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Robert Clark<\/strong>
\nPostdoc (2016-2020, Research Assistant Professor 2020-2023)<\/p>\n

Rob studied how host plant variation and predator effects impact vector biology. He currently runs a consulting company based in Plantsville, CT. (https:\/\/www.ecodata.tech\/)<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"LieslLiesl Oeller<\/strong>
\nMS in Entomology (2018-2020)<\/p>\n

Liesl’s MS thesis focused on understanding pests in quinoa crops. After a stint in Michigan they looped back to Pullman to become the lab coordinator.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Rae Olsson
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2015-2020)<\/p>\n

Rae’s PhD dissertation focused on pollinator health in canola crops. They are currently an Assistant Professor of Entomology at WSU in Pullman, WA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Maggie Freeman
\n<\/strong>MS in Entomology (2017-2019)<\/p>\n

Maggie worked on the invasive lily leaf beetle. She is currently a lab manager at Oregon State in Hood River, OR. She once said to Dave “you’re kind of a science slut”.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Eli Bloom
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2013-2019)<\/p>\n

Eli studied the stability and diversity of native pollinator communities in urban and organic farming systems. He is currently a postdoc at Cornell in Ithaca, NY.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Robert Schaeffer<\/strong>
\nPostdoc (2016-2018)<\/p>\n

Robert studied cross-kingdom interactions involving plants, pollinators, and microbes in natural and agricultural systems. He is an Assistant Professor at Utah State in Logan, UT.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Robert Orpet
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2014-2018)<\/p>\n

Robert assessed factors influencing the population dynamics of woolly apple aphids. He is currently is an Assistant Professor at Oregon State in Central Point, OR.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Paul Chisholm
\n<\/strong>PhD in Entomology (2013-2017)<\/p>\n

Paul studied plant-insect-virus interactions, using the pea aphid and legumes as a model system. He currently works as a forestry consultant based in Rapid City, SD.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Ivan Milosavljevic<\/strong>
\nPhD in Entomology (2011-2015)
\nPostdoc (2015-2016)<\/p>\n

Ivan studied the ecology and management of wireworms in cereal crop systems. He currently works as for the Citrus Board in California in Riverside, CA.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Dr. Eric Moise<\/strong>
\nPostdoc (2016)<\/p>\n

Eric studied community and disease ecology, using the potato psyllid and Solanaceous plants as his model system. He is currently a research leader at the Canadian Forest Service on Prince Edwards Island.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>Dr. Elinor Lichtenberg<\/strong>
\nPostdoc (2013-2015)<\/p>\n

Elinor’s research focused on the effects of farming landscapes on pollinator behavior. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Elizabeth D’Auria
\n<\/strong>MS in Entomology (2013-2015)<\/p>\n

Lizz developed decision-support tools to improve pest management for potato crop. She is currently a lab manager at Cornell in Ithaca, NY.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\"\"Elliott Moon
\n<\/strong>MS in Statistics (2011-2013)<\/p>\n

Elliott studied landscape ecology of herbivorous and predacious insect communities. He works as a GIS technician in Seattle, WA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Master of Coin<\/h2>\n

\"Dr.Dave Crowder
<\/strong>Professor of Entomology<\/em>
Director of the WSU Decision Aid Systems<\/em>
Assistant Director – WSU Molecular Plant Sciences Graduate Program<\/em><\/p>\n

Dave oversees what has been described as “a tight shipwreck”. CV<\/a><\/p>\n

Lab Coordinator<\/h2>\n

\"\"Liesl Oeller<\/strong><\/p>\n

Liesl has the lab’s hardest jobs – to keep Dave focused and limit the tasks he is responsible for. They have done these jobs amazingly well since 2022.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Postdocs and Research Professors<\/h2>\n

» More …<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1332,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/single.php","meta":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1332"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":78,"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1532,"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4\/revisions\/1532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=4"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/david-crowder\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}