Professor of Forest Entomology

Brian Aukema

Brian moved the lab to the University of Minnesota in 2010 after a few years as a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service at the University of Northern British Columbia. He has degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in forest entomology (MS, PhD) and biometry (environmental statistics, MS). In 2011, he was awarded a University McKnight Land-Grant Professorship. As a transplanted Canadian, his favourite type of stick is a hockey stick.

Postdoc

Shealyn Malone

Shealyn joins the lab having recently completed her PhD at the University of Wisconsin. Her research interests lie at the intersection of tree defense and physiology, bark beetles, and climatic stress. Prior to her foray into forest ecology, Shealyn taught high school science for eight lively years. In her free time, Shealyn can be found hiking, skiing, or skipping rocks on the river—all in the company of her partner and their two young sons.

PhD Student

Jessica Rootes

Following a six-year stint in the US Air Force as a linguist working in intelligence, Jess arrived to study the dynamics of eastern spruce budworm in Minnesota and on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. She remains the only lab member past and present with a course on her transcripts entitled "Predictive Battlespace Awareness." Jess is an accomplished photographer and also enjoys all things crafty.

PhD Student

Sayesha Khanna

Sayesha joined us Fall 2023 after completing her Masters as India's representative to the Erasmus Mundus joint MS program in Plant Health sponsored by the European Union. She gained a strong background in Integrated Pest Management from studies in Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands and was elected valedictorian of her graduate cohort. She is working on adapting management of spongy moth with Btk to Minnesota's climate.

Master's Student

Ella Maddi

Ella came to Minnesota from the great pine state of Maine where she attended Colby College for undergrad and spent the past few years working in quality control at breweries. She is excited to be a part of the Aukema lab and is nvestigating the endemic niche of mountain pine beetles. Outside of playing with bugs, Ella enjoys frolicking through the woods with her dog and eating her way through the wonderful Twin Cities food scene.

Master's Student

Ian Grossenbacher-Mcglamery

After three summers of work with us, and a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Minnesota, the right project came along and Ian joined the team as a Masters student. Ian's experience across a variety of projects continues to be invaluable to the team, as is his love of all things boggy. He is an avid runner and skier and has a strong beard game.

Master's Student

Emma Hans

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Emma came to the lab after a postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and a stint in a fisheries ecology lab. Emma is studying the ecology, development, and natural enemies of satin moth. In her spare time, she enjoys birdwatching and crafting.

Summer Research Technician

Kyra Stobert

After a summer at Ordway field station, Kyra joined the lab fiending for more involvement in research and field work. Kyra graduated from Macalester College in the spring of 2025 with Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Studio Art—luckily, working with insects is a bit of both. An avid collector of garbage, Kyra can often be found outside the lab collaging with materials from the side of the road or taking the bus to collect more.

Summer Research Technician

Charlie Leys

Charlie joined the lab as a summer technician after graduating from Wheaton College in Illinois with a bachelor's degree in biology. He hails from Minnesota's great sister state of Wisconsin and is still very much a badger at heart. Charlie loves to explore the great outdoors, and enjoys birding, skiing, and playing ultimate frisbee in his free time.

Summer Research Technician

Paige Terpstra

Paige completed her bachelor's degree in zoology at Olivet Nazarene University. She got her first taste of research through her undergraduate work with midwestern savanna birds, and falling in love with field work, she (and her pet praying mantises) eagerly joined The Aukema Lab! When not in the lab, Paige loves drawing and painting, rollerblading, letter-writing, and long gambols through the woods.

Summer Research Technician

Ella Hanhan

Ella has rejoined the lab after completing her junior year as a Fine Arts major for a second summer as a research assistant. With knowledge on ongoing projects in the Aukema lab and work as a studio assistant and researcher for ArTeS (Arts + Technology + Science), she’s excited to return to the lab and continue working on amazing projects run by amazing people. In their spare time, Ella enjoys fencing, dancing, and wandering around town to find new parks to explore. 

Visiting International Student

Mai Aochi

Mai is a visiting student from our friend Etsuro Takagi's forest entomology laboratory at Tokyo Metropolitan University. Her research in Japan focuses on  the host selection, interspecific interactions, and niche partitioning of the bark beetle Polygraphus proximus. Being part of the Aukema Lab is one of the most exciting experiences of her life! In her free time, Mai enjoys trying local foods, cooking with regional ingredients, and collecting beautiful handicrafts.

Voice of Wisdom / Best Lab Assistant Ever

Val Cervenka

Val retired from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2023 and decided to... come volunteer with us for a few hours every week!? How did we get so lucky! She helps process field samples, provides artistic advice, proofreads paragraphs, dispenses career guidance, identifies insects, embellishes stories, and much, much more.

Undergraduates

• So much of our work is made possible by our awesome technicians and summer workers who contribute to our teams every year. Some are with us only for a few months, while others return for two or even three years. After almost 20 years as a lab, it continues to be rewarding to see the diversity of careers that have been launched. Our students have gone on to positions in graduate schools (and now faculty), arboriculture, early childhood education, medical schools, state and federal agencies, and much, much more.