Brian Leydet, MPH, PhD

 Dr. Leydet is an vector-borne disease biologist who completed his doctoral work under the guidance of Dr. Fang Ting Liang at LSU's School of Veterinary Medicine, where he studied tick-borne diseases in understudied areas, and the pathogenic potential of Borrelia bissettii. This training complemented both his Master of Public Health degree as well as his experience as an EMT-Paramedic.  His multidisciplinary training was further expanded during his postdoctoral studies under the mentorship of Dr. Timothy Sellati at both the Trudeau Institute in Saranac Lake NY and Southern Research in Birmingham AL.  Brian is interested in understanding underlying factors that drive vector-borne disease enzootic cycles.  He loves the outdoors and spends much of his free time fishing and snowboarding. Download his CV.

Karine Posbic Leydet, MS, PhD

Dr. Leydet is an evolutionary biologist who completed her PhD at LSU in the Department of Biological Sciences' division of Systematics, Evolution, and Ecology under the advisement of Dr. Michael Hellberg. Her doctoral work investigated the demographic history and current range expansion of an invasive coral species in the Mediterranean Sea. Her master's research conducted at GWU investigated gene flow in marbled salamanders. Karine is largely interested in understanding the processes that help shape and maintain species' diversity, abundance, and distributions especially in light of environmental changes.  She completed her postdoctoral research in the Friedman Lab at Syracuse University, and can be spotted in and around the lab providing expert advice. Visit her website.

Lorne Farovitch, MS

PhD student in Translational Biomedical Science Program (University of Rochester; major professor: Dr. Tim Dye)

​Lorne's multidisciplinary dissertation on ticks is composed of three collaborative projects: 1) determining novel bio-diagnostic testing, 2) evaluating geographic distribution of tick-borne diseases, and 3) determining the effective preventive strategies for Deaf populations.​

Kurt Gielow

Master's student (major professor: Dr. Shannon Farrell)

Kurt is investigating tick and Borrelia burgdorferi prevalence associated with ground foraging bird species along a gradient of human development in central New York.

Sarah Lanthier

Master's student

Sarah is exploring the role of host associations among Borrelia burgdorferi, Ixdoes scapularis, and their small mammal hosts in a recently established location.

Miranda Nelson

Master's student

Miranda is exploring the prevalence of ticks and  Borrelia burgdorferi in differing forests to gauge how landscape management can influence Lyme disease. 

​Aaliyah Au

Undergraduate student

Aaliyah is investigating the prevalence of Babesia microti in various small mammal species at locations with varying tick densities.

Nick Bentley

Undergraduate student

Nick is studying the diversity of a Borrelia burgdorferi complement-binding protein in mammals and birds.

Rachel Lange

Undergraduate student

Rachel investigating the prevalence of Powassan virus in groundhogs, groundhog-associated Ixodes cookei, and Ixodes scapularis to understand the different Powassan transmission cycles in nature. 

Lukas Leydet

Future scientist/ the real boss

Lukas is a curious little explorer who loves being outside.

You?   

Lab Alumni

Zaara Sarwar, PhD

Post-doctoral researcher
​
Zaara is now an Assistant Professor at The College of New Jersey. 

Ben Gallo

Master's student (co-advised by Dr. John Farrell)

Ben investigated the composition of the gut microbial communities in fishes of the Upper St. Lawrence River (namely Northern Pike (Esox lucius)) using Next Generation Sequencing technologies. He is currently pursuing his PhD .

Amanda Christiano

Undergraduate student
​Graduated May 2018; BS Environmental Biology, minor: Environmental Health

Amanda examined the differential gene expression observed in two morphological variants of Borrelia burgdorferi using qPCR. She is currently a research technician in Dr. M. Mahmood Hussain's lab at NYU Winthrop Hospital researching diabetes and obesity.

Amelia Sorlie

Undergraduate student
Graduated May 2018; BS Environmental Biology

​Amelia quantified Borrelia burgdorferi biofilm formation in vitro.

​Gwen Kettenburg

​REU student (Keystone College)

Gwen examined seroprevalence of Borrelia miyamotoi in white-tailed deer from New York and Pennsylvania.

Izzy Schmitt

​REU student (Green Mountain College)

Izzy researched Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein C (OspC) groups associated with infected birds and their ticks from Onondaga County, NY.