Claudia Wyer joined the Harrington lab in March 2024 as a post-doctoral associate, and is interested in the genetic determinants of behavior and reproduction in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. She first fell in love with mosquito research during field work in Kenya as part of her Masters at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She earned her PhD at Imperial College London in 2023 (under the supervision of Harrington Lab Alum Dr. Lauren Cator), which explored the effects of sexual selection on the Aedes aegypti genome. Outside of work, Claudia likes cooking, reading, gardening and music.
 Kara Fikrig joined the lab in August of 2017 and earned her PhD in 2022. She is interested in the ways in which the ecology of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus can inform public health interventions. Kara’s postdoctoral research is on human aided movement of Aedes aegypti by riverboats to communities along the Peruvian Amazon and implications for vector control and public health risk. Her interest in insects began as a child, but was solidified as an undergraduate at Yale University while working towards her BS in ecology and evolutionary biology. Kara spent one summer studying beetle natural history in Panama. Thereafter, she decided to specify in medical entomology, leading her to study Ae. aegypti the following two summers in Dominica and then in Australia. In an effort to ensure that her scientific questions remain relevant to human health, she completed a Masters of Public Health in epidemiology of microbial diseases as a part of a joint BS/MPH program at Yale. In her free time, Kara enjoys riding horses, playing polo and soccer, and hiking with her adopted mutt from Argentina.
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 Alexandra Amaro is a research associate in the lab. She earned her PhD at Cornell in Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular biology in 2009 focused on the cellular cytoskeleton during mitosis. She continued expanding her experience in a virology lab, a biotechnology company for which her work contributed to a patent for a therapeutic approach to treat Huntington’s Disease, and a lab interested in RNA processing in the chloroplast of plants and algae. With a longstanding interest in virology (the biotechnology company also acted as a partner in development of field diagnostic kits used for Lassa Fever in Africa), she was excited to come to the Harrington lab to work on the vector for Dengue, Yellow Fever, and other viral diseases. Her focus is on the biology and identification of seminal fluid proteins in mosquito using proteomics and molecular tool including CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Outside of lab, Alex enjoys walking the trails of the local parks, dancing, and travel.
Sylvie Pitcher joined the Harrington Lab in January 2009. She primarily works as a lab manager for the Harrington lab, but enjoys being part of the numerous experiments that go on in the lab. When she isn’t working Sylvie enjoys spending time with her three children, and wonderful husband just enjoying life.
Emily Mader joined the Harrington lab in July 2017, as the Program Manager for the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. She earned her Master of Public Health and Master of Public Policy degrees from the University of Utah in 2013. Prior to joining the Harrington lab, Emily worked in chronic disease prevention and quality of care in the primary care setting. In her spare time, Emily enjoys cycling, xc skiing, traveling, and hanging out with her husband and cat.
Lindsay Baxter joined the lab in 2022 as a Research Support Specialist for the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. Lindsay earned her MS in medical entomology in 2020. Her graduate work focused on the ecology of Powassan virus in coastal Maine. She currently manages the pesticide resistance monitoring project for the NEVBD at Cornell. As a West Coast native, she seeks wide open spaces. In her free she enjoys swimming in lakes and rivers, podcasting and travel.
Aine Lehane joined the lab in January 2023 as a Research Support Specialist for the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases where she serves as a technical advisor and leads the National Insecticide Resistance Working Group. She earned her Master of Public Health from Yale University in 2018. She has previous work experience in vector-borne disease research and surveillance. Outside of work Aine enjoys walking and running with her hound dog, exploring waterfalls, and reading historical fiction.
 Emilie Gray joined the Harrington lab in July 2023 as a first as lecturer and now as a research associate. Her primary research focus has involved the physiological and evolutionary mechanisms through which mosquitoes respond to environmental stress. Before moving to Ithaca, she was a faculty member at Colorado College for over 10 years. In that capacity, she taught courses in fields ranging from field ecology to comparative physiology and medical entomology, and she mentored students in a wide array of research projects. At Cornell, Emilie co-taught the course ENTOM 2100 Plagues and People, with a focus on developing team-based learning activities that can be implemented in a large lecture hall. On her time off, Emilie enjoys gardening and exploring the local forests on foot, bike or skis with her husband and two dogs.
Elisabeth (Lisa) Martin joined the Harrington lab as  a technician in June of 2019. She provides support for day-to-day lab operations, as well as some ongoing research projects. She graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a BS in Biochemistry, and has been an Ithacan since 2015. She is interested in research-backed solutions for public health problems. When she’s not hanging out with mosquitoes, Lisa enjoys cooking/eating, talking politics, and spending quality time with cool cats (both human and feline).
 Patrick Perish joined the Harrington Lab in December 2023 as a Lab Technician. His past work in entomology has ranged from mosquito control, pollinator ecology, invasive forest insects, and jewel beetle pests of hazelnuts. He is excited to be working on mosquitoes again. When he’s not thinking about bugs, Patrick is usually foraging for mushrooms or enjoying a stinky cheese.
Veronica Fell joined the lab in May 2024 as a Lab Technician. She graduated from RIT with a B.S in Biotechnology and Molecular Biosciences and a minor in Environmental Science. At RIT, she worked on various projects focusing in environmental microbiology and genomics. She is excited to bring her skills into the Harrington lab to bridge together environmental and ecological monitoring of pesticide resistance in mosquitoes! Outside of the lab, Veronica enjoys baking sweets, cooking, weight-lifting, reading, and hikes.
Graduate Students
 Jake Angelico joined the Harrington lab as a technician in April of 2022 and now is working toward his graduate degree in Entomology at Cornell. Jake graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a BS in Human Biology in 2020; after which, he worked in a lab focused on the ecology of mosquito and tick-borne disease in Maine. He is interested in the dynamics of infectious disease and how ecology influences disease risk and transmission. In his spare time, Jake likes baking, reading and enjoys the outdoors.
Undergraduates
 Natalie Bailey started out in the Harrington lab as the intern for the 2022 New York State Tick Blitz https://blogs.cornell.edu/ccenrb79/. She is a senior majoring in Environment and Sustainability and is interested in environmental policy and public health. Lyme Disease is prevalent in her hometown in Virginia, so she was drawn to the Tick Blitz to learn more about tick ecology and bite prevention. This fall, she’ll be shifting focus to help out with mosquito research. Outside the lab, she enjoys working on her planted aquariums and trying out new recipes.
Sarah Garcia is a junior studying Entomology with interests in infectious disease and science communication. She joined the Harrington Lab in 2023 as a summer intern for the NEVBD Pesticide Resistance Monitoring program. As an intern, she helped rear thousands of mosquito larvae submitted from locations all over the NE United States and test them for resistance to requested insecticides. Sarah loves that medical entomology connects her interest in insect biology, public health, and public outreach. In the future, she hopes to pursue graduate entomological research. In her free time, you might find Sarah hiking, listening to music, playing board games, and hanging out with their pet hognose snake, Nessie.
Amanda Peh is a junior majoring in Entomology. She grew up in Singapore, where dengue is endemic and where households get fined if Aedes larvae are found in them. She spent a lot of time looking for and collecting wrigglers to prevent this. Her interest in mosquitoes developed through collecting them and watching them grow. In the Harrington lab, Amanda hopes to learn about the behaviors and transmission ecology of Aedes mosquitoes and how things might change with the warming climate. In her free time she likes to go on walks, swim, and do handcraft. |
