Personnel of the Division of Arthropods
Current Personnel
Kelly B. Miller, PhD
Curator
(505) 277-2496
Kelly is the lab PI and the Curator of Arthropods. His main interest has been the systematics and evolution of Hydradephaga, especially Dytiscidae, but, together with his students, he's worked with numerous other arthropod taxa. If it has jointed legs, He think it's pretty cool. He's also really interested in the evolution of animal sexual strategies.
David C. Lightfoot, PhD
Senior Collection Manager
(505) 277-4225
Dave manages the arthropod collections, database, personnel, facilities in the division. His own interests and research are on Orthoptera taxonomy and ecology, primarily grasshoppers, katydids and crickets of North America. He conducts arthropod inventory and monitoring projects for the National Park Service and other agencies, and grasshopper ecology and long-term monitoring studies with the Sevilleta LTER. Dave is now focused on collaborating with NM-RARe and other arthropod conservation projects for New Mexico.
Jade McLellan
Sevilleta LTER Research Scientist
Jade has been a member of the Sevilleta (SEV) LTER field crew for the past four years, as well as co-PI of the SEV LTER Native Bee Monitoring project. Experienced in both native bee and plant identification, Jade's interests lie in exploring the unique pollination networks of the desert southwest. She also heads the SEV LTER's outreach and education efforts, and moonlights as a processor for arthropod pitfall traps for the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Project (BEMP).
Simon Doneski
Assistant Collection Manager
Simon's doctoral work focuses on butterfly conservation and understanding butterfly declines and extinctions by looking at the biological and ecological characteristics that result in rare and declining species, with a focus on trying to protect and preserve New Mexico butterflies. In previous years, he has worked extensively with federal and state agencies on the conservation of several butterflies including the Karner blue butterfly, frosted elfin, Sacramento Mountains checkerspot, and Nokomis silverspot.
Dewey Devivi
Assistant Collection Manager
Dewey is a biology undergraduate who specializes in collection management and tiger beetle conservation. He especially likes curating insects, which are otherwise lacking crucial data, so that those records can be used for research and conservation. Dewey also wants to use his time at MSB to improve the Division of Arthropods collection so that it can serve as the number one repository of southwestern biodiversity.
Aurelia Valente
Arthropod Outreach and Education Specialist
Aurelia has studied the social behavior of Ornate ant killers (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) for 39 years.
Prakrit Jain
PhD Student
Prakrit Jain is a PhD student in the Miller lab working on systematics and the evolution of ecological specialization in arachnids, especially scorpions. He is particularly interested in short-range endemic species and fossorial or troglobitic fauna.
Adalberto Ubinas
PhD Student
Adalberto has studied the morphologic diversity of Ornate ant killers (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) for 39 years.
Emily Schmitt
PhD Student
Emily is a PhD student studying ecology and the effects of climate change on insect populations. Focusing on grasshoppers in the desert Southwest, her research examines how species’ traits influence population trends, stability, and sensitivity to changing climate conditions. By identifying traits associated with resilience or vulnerability, she aims to develop broadly applicable tools for predicting species’ responses to environmental change, including for populations lacking long-term monitoring data.
Manogya Chandar
PhD Student
Manogya is a PhD student in the Rudgers Lab interested in plant-pollinator interactions and pollination biology in the context of global change. Her graduate work is embedded within the SEV LTER native bee monitoring program located at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, using molecular tools and museum specimens to quantify historic and current bee-plant interactions. She is also a big proponent of public outreach and always excited to chat about all things native bee!
Thomas Bulger
MS Student
Thomas's master's is about understanding the phylogenetics of Oeneis alberta with a special focus on Oeneis alberta capulinensis population genomics. He previously worked in the museum doing long term monitoring for pollinators, endangered butterfly surveys, and writing IUCN red list assessments as an undergraduate technician. His broad research interests are butterfly biogeography, conservation genomics, and environmental toxicology.
Melanie Gonzales
Undergraduate volunteer
Melanie is a senior Biology undergraduate (and future graduate student in the Miller Lab 2027). She is interested in studying native bee ecology in New Mexico and is passionate about education and sharing the vast diversity of these bees to others.
Brandon Kennard
Postbaccalaureate Research Technician
Brandon is a volunteer curator and a research technician working with the US Forest Service on arthropods related to forest health. His broad interest reaches all clades with in Arthropoda but is centered around Coleoptera. He is currently studying Haliplidae of New Mexico.
Daniel Green
Undergraduate Research Technician
Daniel is very interested in tiger beetle (Cicindelinae) biology, ecology and conservation. He is also interested in insect conservation as he feels they are invaluable components of a healthy ecosystems.
Anna Beck
Outreach Co-coordinator
Anna is a 3rd year biology undergraduate student working for the SEV LTER Native Bee Monitoring Program. She loves all insects, especially bees, and hopes to pursue a career in insect ecology and conservation. She is also the caretaker of our pet tarantula, Junimo.
Harmony Martinez
Undergraduate Volunteer
Harmony is a senior biology undergraduate interested in bees (order Hymenoptera) and conservation ecology. They also run the MSB's Studio Nights, which they hope will bridge the gap between art and science communication. Photographed with them is a worker Bombus huntii.
Richie Mullet
Undergraduate Volunteer
Richie is a volunteer from UNM's undergraduate Film program. Currently, he is interested in darkling beetles, scorpions, and butterflies. They hope to be able to pursue entomology for post-grad education, eventually.
Zera Adame
Postbaccalaureate Volunteer
Zera is a recent UNM alumna who graduated with her bachelor's degree in Biology. She primarily focused on fungal ecology during her undergrad. She became interested in volunteering at the museum through her master naturalist course, as well as a personal interest in arachnids. Her interests include theraphosidae and salticidae. Currently working in the Bosque, she hopes to apply her knowledge to the outdoor education components of her job.
Shannon McQuillan
Postbaccalaureate Volunteer
Shannon has bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Anthropology. She is interested in conservation, ecology, science communication, and fostering positive connections between people and nature. She feels that arthropods are an under-loved class of organisms and hopes to inspire others to love and appreciate them.
Gabrielle Rael
Undergraduate Research Associate
Gabrielle Rael is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. She has worked in Dr. Jennifer Rudger's lab and the MSB: Arthropods since 2023. They started as a member of the SEV Core Site Bee Monitoring Project and transitioned into Lepidoptera specimen preparation and accession. Her senior honors thesis is investigating the impacts of climate on New Mexico butterflies using data gathered by the New Mexico Butterfly Monitoring Network (NMBMN). Gaby is finishing her final semester while preparing for publication and graduate school.
Gren Miraglia
Undergraduate Volunteer
Gren is a junior undergraduate at UNM studying Biology with a specialization in tarantula ecology. Their hobbies include illustration and programming. They are looking to pursue graduate research in arachnids and are excited to associate with like-minded arthropod lovers at the MSB!
Kaylee Canales
Undergraduate Volunteer
Kaylee is an undergraduate biology student as well as a volunteer at the division of arthropods. She has not developed a specific interest but it’s interested in diverse species.
Heloise Adema
Postbaccalaureate Volunteer, Artist
Heloise is a scientific illustrator specializing in invertebrates. Her art aims to give a special glimpse into the fascinating lives of the tiny creatures all around us and prove them just as worth of preservation as more charismatic fauna
Matilda Bowen
Undergraduate Volunteer
Matilda is an undergraduate majoring in biology with a minor in environmental science and plans on pursuing a graduate degree in entomology. They're a mosquito surveillance technician working with the CABQ Urban Biology Division to document and prevent the spread of WNV in Bernalillo County. They're working with the museum to establish a collection of mosquito specimens to expand the study of mosquitoes in the southwest. Their professional interests include surveilling the spread of Aedes aegypti in NM, documenting the spread of mosquito-borne disease, and environmentally safe mosquito control methods.
Elliott Gordon
Research Associate, Volunteer
Elliott is a volunteer in the division of arthropods. He studies wedge-shaped beetles (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae) and loves photographing the colorful and diverse native invertebrates of central New Mexico. He is also an iNaturalist and bugguide curator and a native plant gardener.
Steve Cary
Research Associate, Volunteer
Steve is a butterfy lover who has put his knowledge and skills to use organizing MSB's butterfly collection. Now he helps to keep the collection in good order and identifies challenging specimens when he can. He also mentors students and participates in some student research projects, whether in the lab or in the field.
Division Research Associates and Former Curators
| Name | Title | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Manuel Molles, PhD | Curator Emeritus; Aquatic insect ecology | University of New Mexico, MSB |
| Julie McIntyre, PhD | Research Associate; Insect ecology, conservation | University of New Mexico, MSB |
| Ana Davidson, PhD | Research Associate; Insect ecology, conservation | Colorado State Univ., Dept. Fish, Wildlife & Conservation |
| Robert Parmenter, PhD | Research Associate; Insect ecology, coleoptera | Valles Caldera National Preserve, Univ. NM, MSB |
| Ernest Valdez, PhD | Research Associate; Insect ecolology | US Geological Survey |
| Michael Toliver, MS | Research Associate; Lepidoptera | University of New Mexico, MSB |
| Matthew Leister, MS | Research Associate; Arachnid taxonomy/ecology | University of New Mexico, Biology Dept., BEMP |
| Sandra L. Brantley, PhD | Research Associate; Arachnid taxonomy/ecology | University of New Mexico, MSB |
| Quinlyn Baine, PhD | Research Associate; Insect evolution and conservation | Albuquerque BioPark Society |
| Rick Buss, PhD | Research Associate; Coleoptera systematics | University of New Mexico, MSB |
| David Sandstrom | Research Associate; Tenebrionidae, ecology, physiology, systematics | University of New Mexico, MSB |
