Eliott M. Smith

I joined Dr. Aaron Gassmann’s lab as a research assistant in early 2019. My project involves characterizing resistance to Gpp34/Tpp35Ab1 toxins in western corn rootworm (WCR) (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) through genetic mapping. In addition, we will be characterizing the inheritance of and fitness tradeoffs associated with Gpp34/Tpp35Ab1 resistance.

Before joining the Gassmann lab, I obtained my BSc in crop sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2016. At UIUC, I largely focused on plant-microbe interactions. I obtained an MSc in entomology and nematology from the University of Florida (UF) in 2018. My research project at UF largely focused on antimicrobial plant sprays’ role on the endosymbionts communities of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri.