Department Overview
The MSU Department of Entomology is a vibrant and internationally-recognized unit committed to interdisciplinary research, teaching and extension at local, regional, national and international scales. The Department includes approximately 30 faculty, 40 graduate students and 30 undergraduate majors and minors, with diverse interests spanning the spectrum from fundamental to applied studies. View a list of our faculty and click on a name to learn about his or her research program.
We perform basic and applied research on insects and related invertebrates in three main focus areas:
These themes are applied across diverse systems including annual and perennial crops, forests, aquatic environments and various international settings. As part of one of the country's first land-grant universities, the Entomology Department is committed to delivering its research knowledge to benefit the public through extension and translational entomological science.
Faculty and students in the Department have strong ties to the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, the NSF-funded BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Kellogg Biological Station Long Term Ecological Research Program, Center for Microbial Ecology, Molecular Plant Sciences Program and other interdisciplinary programs across campus. We also have access to multiple research stations around the state, including the Trevor Nichols Research Center which is managed by Entomology faculty. Farms on the East Lansing campus provide excellent land and facility resources for fieldwork in multiple cropping systems and natural areas, and extensive campus greenhouse and environmental chamber facilities provide close access to places for research in controlled environments.
MSU Entomology also connects to state-of-the-art services for high impact research through facilities such as genomics, bioinformatics, flow cytometry, IVIS imaging and others through the Research Technology Support Facility.
Weekly departmental seminars bring students and faculty together. See our scheduled seminars.