Spence Behmer (E-mail)

     - Assistant Professor (Texas A&M University)

     - Head of IPBRG

Andy Boswell (E-mail) - M.S. student

     - A physiological investigation of ecological stoichiometry in a generalist grasshopper

Steve Cook (E-mail) - Postdoctoral Research Associate
     - Ant nutrient regulation and foraging behavior at the individual and colony level

Travis Gates (E-mail) - Undergraduate student researcher

      - The behavior of the post oak grasshopper, Dendrotettix quercus

Xiangfeng Jing (E-mail) - Ph.D. student

     - The physiology of sterol use in caterpillars (a USDA funded project)

Marion Le Gall (E-mail) - Ph.D. student
     - The influence of nutrient-allelochemical interactions on insect herbivores

Paul Lenhart (E-mail) - Ph.D. student (co-chaired with Micky Eubanks)

     - Community ecology, with an emphasis on grasshoppers and their predators

Karl Roeder (E-mail) - M.S. student

     - Lifetime consequences of nutritional history in the caterpillar Heliothis virescens

I am always looking for bright and motivated graduate students and postdocs to add to the lab. My philosphoy is to work hard, but have fun doing it. As an advisor I work with my students and postdocs both one-on-one as well as in a larger group, and encourage my students and postdocs to work together to assist each other in their individual development, as well as that of the lab as a whole.

Graduate study

If you are interested in graduate research on insect-plant interactions, insect nutritional physiology, insect physiological ecology, insect learning, or some combination, please contact Spence Behmer by E-mail. Additional information on the Department of Entomology and Graduate admission to Texas A&M University can be found at the following links...

     For application information to the Department of Entomology

     For general information on Graduate Admissions to Texas A&M University

Funding is always a concern, but there are numerous fellowships available (both nationally and at Texas A&M University) if you have a high grade point average and strong GREs. There is also the possibility of support through teaching assistantships funded by the Deparment of Entomology (and sometimes other Departments on campus).

Interested PhD students are encouraged to come visit the lab. The Department of Entomology offers travel grants for prospective PhD students who are based in the continental United States (travel takes place in early February). These travel grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and applications become available during each fall semester.

Postdoctoral research

If you are interested in postdoctoral research on insect-plant interactions, insect nutritional physiology, insect physiological ecology, insect learning, or some combination, contact Spence Behmer by E-mail.

Leah Brugette - Research Assistant

     - Currently based in Austin, TX

Ashley McConnell - REU program (summer 2008)

     - Finishing her senior at University of Maryland Baltimore-County

Sheena Parsons - Research Assistant (part of a NSF grant with Tony Joern)

     - Currently a M.S. student in the Joern Lab

Jared Ripple - Undergraduate student researcher
     - Currently a M.S. student in the Eubank's Lab (Texas A&M University)

Rachel Wynalda - M.S. student (co-chaired with Roger Gold)

     - Currently working in Iraq as part of the Anti-Terror/Force Protection Program