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Jose is a broadly trained microbiologist and entomologist. He earned his BS degree in cell biology and PhD in microbiology from the University of California, Davis where he studied mosquito immune responses to malaria parasite infection. He then completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, Santa Cruz investigating the cellular interactions between the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia and its insect hosts using a fruit fly model. Afterwards, he spent several years in the private sector where his research was focused on developing microbe-based strategies to control public health pests, including mosquitoes, bed bugs, and cockroaches. Jose joined the faculty of the University of South Dakota as an Assistant Professor in 2018 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2024.
My long-term goal is to contribute to the development of novel environmental, biological, and chemical interventions to reduce the burden of insects and insect-borne infections on global public health through an integrative understanding of insect-bacterial interactions. My laboratory investigates several disease vectors, urban pests, and model insects. We employ diverse approaches and tools drawing from the disciplines of microbiology, insect physiology, and molecular cell biology. Specific research interests include: the dynamics of bacterial pathogen transmission by insects, the effects of the gut microbiota on insect physiology, emerging vector-borne pathogen surveillance, insect immunity, and the use of entomopathogens to control public health pests.
