Our lab works to understand the life histories, population, and community dynamics of organisms who facilitate the decomposition process in a variety of ecosystems and contexts. Our research has direct application to wildlife, forensic, veterinary, and medical sciences.
Research Space
The D.E.A.T.H. Ecology Laboratory is located in the Henry E. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. Research is conducted in the laboratory and within recreational forest blocks and agricultural landscapes.
As a highly collaborative research group with multidisciplinary research goals; students may cross-train with other faculty within and outside the university who specialize in genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and more.
Personal Awards
North American Forensic Entomology Association (NAFEA)
Travel Award
- Madeline Gray ('25)
Curry College
Research Leadership:
- Taylor Conley ('23)
Departmental Service:
- Sarah Corbin ('23)
Excellence in Research:
- William Noyes ('24)
- Dannielle Borrasso ('23)
Leadership and Service:
- Hailey Gonsalves ('23)
- Amelia Beauregard ('23)
- Caitlin O'Reilly ('23)
- Lily Turner-Burrell ('23)
Distinction in Forensic Science ('23):
- Hailey Gonsalves ('23)
Conference Presentation Awards
Steven Graham. Third Place Undergraduate Oral Presentation Award. Southwestern Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. 2022.
Abby Jones. Second Place Undergraduate Oral Presentation Award. 19th Annual Ecological Integration Symposium, College Station, TX. 2018.
Honors Distinction
Curry College
Amelia Beauregard. 2023
Hailey Gonsalves. 2023
Caitlin O'Reilly. 2023
Texas A&M University
Steven Graham. 2021
Abby Jones. 2018
Where are they Now?
Graduate School
- Sarah Corbin [MS, Arcadia University]
- Steven Graham [PhD, Colorado State University]
- Abby Jones [PhD, Mississippi State University]
Medical Examiner Assistant
- Brittany Bailey [MA State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner]
-Hailey Gonsalves [MA State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner]
- Jarrod Dean Horne [MA State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner]
Laboratory Technician
- Taylor Conley [Tufts University]
-Caitlin O'Reilly [IDEXX Laboratories]
- Benjamin Williams [Brigham and Women's Hospital]
Animal Ambassador
- Sarah Channen [Franklin Park Zoo]
Data Auditor
- Jovina Monteiro [Data Quest, Ltd.]
Current Research
Impact of brodifacoum on necrophagous fly life history. Brodifacoum is a anticoagulant utilized as a rodenticide. This research looks to understand the impact of this rodenticide on the longevity, reproductive output, and overall success of flies having colonizing remains exposed to this rat poison.
Filth flies as monitors of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenales. These protozoan parasites are cryptically spread through ecosystems due to infected hosts often presenting asymptomatically. This work looks to use flies as a mechanism to identify these pathogen's prevalence using flies that interact with infected scat across wild and agricultural landscapes.
Method development for use of filth flies to detect Staphylococcus aureus using rapid testing. Rapid tests are cost effective and accessible methods for detecting the presence of target antigens. The goal of this work is to develop a method to allow for the testing of filth flies in ecological monitoring of pathogens using a methodology that is cheaper and easier to access than traditional diagnostic techniques.
Impact of pathogens on necrophagous fly life history. Microbes are important symbionts to filth flies. Due to this relationship, it is likely that there are benefits to flies when encountering certain microbes, pathogenic or otherwise. Current literature suggests these effects are not only pathogen specific, but insect specific as well. This research looks to determine the role Staphylococcus aureus plays on the life histories of several forensically and agriculturally important flies.
Measuring the impact of maggot activity on DNA quality of highly decomposed tissues. DNA is a useful tool in identifying individuals who are too decomposed to use standard techniques. Maggots are known to produce excretions and secretions that can efficiently break down tissue. This work aims to understand the role insects play in degrading DNA from soft tissues during the decomposition process. Principal Investigator: Dr. Ashley Morgan
Interested in joining our lab?