Team
The Renner Lab group includes undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, who work together to understand the evolution of defense in plants and insects.
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Entomology
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Faculty
Postdoctoral Fellows/Researchers
Graduate Students
Robert Witkowski
Ph.D. Student - Plant Biology
rpw5414@psu.edu
Shuhan Yin
Ph.D. Student - Plant Biology
Benedikt Nuesslein
Ph.D. Student - Plant Biology Rotation
Undergraduate Students
Lily Sudol
Undergraduate Researcher - Plant Sciences major, Entomology minor
Former Personnel
Postdoctoral Fellows/Researchers
Kadeem Gilbert
USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, now an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University's W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.
Graduate Students
Rayanh Gutierrez
Ph.D. Student - Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences Rotation
Adam Rork
Ph.D. Student - Entomology, now a NSF PRFB fellow at Purdue University with Dr. Aaron Smith.
Blue Riggins
Ph.D. Student - Entomology, now investigating mite diversity with Dr. Michael Skvarla
Eleanna Vasquez Cerda
Ph.D. Student - Plant Biology Rotation
Yuxin Luo
Ph.D. Student - Plant Biology Rotation
Sujay Paranjape
Ph.D. Student - Entomology, now exploring chemical ecology in Jared Ali's lab.
Savannah Anez
Ph.D. Student - Plant Biology Rotation
Ben Simonson
Ph.D. Student - MCIBS Rotation
Undergraduate Students
Naomi Perez
Undergraduate Researcher - Vet Med Science major, Entomology minor
Naomi Perez
Undergraduate Researcher - Vet and Biomed Sciences
Arthi Bala
Undergraduate Researcher - Biology, now in the Systems Medicine Masters program at Georgetown University.
Ian Chamberlain
Undergraduate Researcher - Plant Sciences
Adam Bettinger
Undergraduate Researcher - Plant Sciences, now a Medical Cannabis Cultivation Technician at Ayr Wellness Inc.
Elise Elizondo
Undergraduate Researcher - Plant Sciences, now an intern at The Land Institute.
John Fulginiti
Undergraduate Researcher - Geobiology, now a Geology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Tennessee.
Mark Porter
Undergraduate Researcher - Plant Sciences, now a Ph.D. student in the Plant Breeding program at the University of Florida.
Emma Longmire
Undergraduate Researcher - Biology, now studying at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Nicholas Elliott
Undergraduate Researcher - Biology, now a Ph.D. student in the The Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology (DRSB) program a the University of Chicago.
Zach Johnston
Undergraduate Researcher - Biology
Research Technologists
Kylie Bocklund
Research Technologist, now a Project Associate at Sanguine Biosciences.