Seed Funded Projects
Our seed funding scheme aims to support innovative research and build new cross-disciplinary teams amongst our affiliates. Here we highlight the newly awarded projects from our 2023 funding call.
Title: Invasive lizard-mediated risk of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission
Principal investigator: Nathan Burkett-Cadena, PhD
Entomology and Nematology Department
Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL)
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Co-Principal Investigators:
Melissa Miller, PhD; Lawrence Reeves, PhD
Title: IPM Working Group: International BEACONS (Biodiversity Enhancement and Control of Non-native Species)
Principal investigator: Yoosook Lee, PhD
Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL)
Co-Principal Investigators:
Lindsay Campbell, PhD; Carey Minteer, PhD; Nicole, PhD
Title: Testing the theory of parasite accumulation as a modulator of long-term invasion impact on the Atlantic blue crab invasion of the Mediterranean Sea
Principal investigator: Donald C. Behringer, PhD
Behringer Lab: Marine and Disease Ecology
Co-Principal Investigators:
Lindsey Reisinger, PhD; Sadie Ryan, PhD
Title: A novel harmonic radar system for tracking invasive insect species
Principal investigator: Norman C. Leppla, PhD
Integrated Pest Management (UF)
Co-Principal investigator:
Tan Wong (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Jasmeet Judge (Agricultural and Biological Engineering)
Isaac Esquivel (Entomology and Nematology)
Marcelo Wallau (Agronomy)
Graduate students:
David Greene (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. student)
William Piwowarek (Entomology and Nematology)
Title: Utilizing novel molecular technology for eDNA analysis to improve surveillance and monitoring of invasive reptiles
Principal investigator: Brian W. Bahder, PhD
Co-Principal investigator:
Frank Mazzotti, PhD; Melissa Miller, PhD; Sergio Balaguera Reina, PhD
Title: Developing artificial intelligence tools for monitoring vertebrate invasions in Florida
Principal Investigator: Marcus Lashley, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator:
Hance Ellington, PhD
Key Collaborators:
David Mason, WEC UF; Raoul Boughton, The Mosaic Company
Title: When biotas collide: How do interactions between native biotas and exotic/invasive species alter coexistence patterns in regional biotas?
PI: Mathew Leibold, PhD
Key Collaborators:
Benjamin Baiser, Robert Holt, Zachary Siders, BingKan Xue,
