UNCUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro · Biology
Wasserberg Ecology Lab
Gideon Wasserberg · Greensboro, North Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Gideon Wasserberg's lab at the University of North Carolina Greensboro focuses on understanding how sand flies choose their breeding sites. These insects are important vectors for diseases like leishmaniasis, and the lab explores the chemical and microbial signals that attract them to specific environments, particularly burrows used by their rodent hosts. By unraveling these ecological interactions, the lab aims to create effective traps to help control sand fly populations and reduce disease transmission.
sand flyleishmaniasismicrobial ecologychemical ecologyovipositionvector controldisease transmissionattraction mechanismsOne-Health
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the chemical and microbial cues that attract sand flies to rodent burrows.
AIM 02Test the hypothesis that breeding site selection is influenced by environmental elements in burrows.
AIM 03Develop an attractive lure for gravid female sand flies to enhance vector control methods.
AIM 04Analyze the ecological interactions between sand flies and their rodent hosts.
AIM 05Translate findings into practical applications for public health strategies.
Skills the Lab Values
field studieslab experimentschemical analysismicrobial identificationinsect behavior observationsurveillance techniquesdata analysis using Rchemical lure developmentecological sampling
Output against the department
Publications47bottom 11% of dept.922nd of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations905bottom 4% of dept.993rd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.