Meet The Team

Philip Kaufman portrait on black background

Phillip Kaufman, Ph.D.

Professor, Head of Entomology Department
phillip.kaufman@ag.tamu.edu

Phillip Kaufman, Ph.D., is a professor and head of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. His research program focuses on the development of new pest management tools for livestock and companion animal systems. Beef cattle, dairy cattle, and horses are the predominant livestock in Texas and are one focus of this program; while investigations on improvement for ectoparasite management on companion animals and wildlife are the second focus. Insecticide resistance and control failures are commonplace for many fly and tick pests; therefore, innovative systems are needed to assist in their management.

Jordan Salomon, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Scientist
jordan.salomon@ag.tamu.edu
https://jordansalomon.weebly.com/

Jordan is dedicated to better understanding zoonotic vector-borne diseases in their sylvatic cycles. Investigating ticks, triatomines, and fleas, she applies the one health framework to identify novel management techniques to prevent transmission to vulnerable populations. During her bachelor’s and master’s at San Francisco State University, she described how tick, helminth, and tick-borne pathogen distributions are influenced by community level factors such as rodent and predator diversity. Her PhD research at Texas A&M University included describing vector-host associations, vector phenology, vector-borne pathogen surveillance, testing vector-host preferences, and testing for parasite manipulation of vector foraging behaviors. Jordan is also passionate about career development for young scientists, please don’t hesitate to reach out for mentorship.

Emrah Ozel, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher
emrah.ozel@ag.tamu.edu

Emrah Ozel is a member of Kaufman Lab and he focuses on Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) biology and management. He obtained his first Master’s degree in Zoology after his work on cave invertebrate fauna in Balıkesir region caves in Turkiye. Next, he worked on Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) population dynamics in Bastrop, TX region and earned his second Master’s degree from Texas State University. During his doctoral work, he focused on insect viruses, especially Heliothine nudiviruses that show promising symptoms for controlling Heliothine infestations. His current work focuses on screening permethrin resistance in Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) populations, identifying phylogenetic lineages and discovering pathogens that are transmitted between hosts. He uses molecular and bioinformatics tools along with advanced equipment and computational resources to answer research questions.

Lauren Beebe

Ph.D. Student
lbeebe@tamu.edu

Lauren Beebe is a Ph.D. student working with Dr. Phillip Kaufman in the Veterinary and Livestock Entomology Laboratory. Her dissertation research focuses on stable flies, their mechanisms of resistance to pesticides, blood-meal host identification, and developmental response to temperature. Lauren received her MS from Texas A&M University with a focus in Forensic Entomology. During this time, she worked with Dr. Aaron Tarone studying the responses of blow fly larvae to extreme temperatures. She received her BS in Entomology and minored in Forensic Science at Purdue University.
Lauren has had a life-long passion for animals and fosters for a local rescue. She also competes in agility with one of her dogs and cares for a plethora of other animals at home.

Taylor Chapman

Research Assistant
taylor.chapman@ag.tamu.edu

Howdy! I am a graduate of Texas A&M University class of ’21 with a B.S. in entomology. I began working in the lab as an undergraduate student worker in the fall of 2021 and continued as a full-time research assistant after graduation. I currently research the acaricide resistance, pathogen infectivity, and species lineage of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and when not found doing research in the lab, you can find me helping with the maintenance and rearing of the lab’s tick colonies. I intend to continue a career in livestock entomology, pursuing a master’s and then a Ph.D. I am currently undecided on where I will continue my education but I hope to have the answer soon!
I intend to continue a career in livestock entomology, pursuing a master’s and then a Ph.D. I am currently undecided on where I will continue my education but I hope to have the answer soon!

Austin Goldsmith

Research Associate austin.goldsmith@ag.tamu.edu

During his B.S. in biology from the University of Central Arkansas, Austin investigated aquatic macroinvertebrates with Dr. Sally Entrekin. Inspired by this experience, he pursued a M.S. degree in entomology from the University of Arkansas, where he studied the control of the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum with the fungal pathogens Metarhizium guizhouense and Metarhizium robertsii. Then at the USDA-ARS Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Laboratory, he tested alternative pest management strategies to control the fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii). Additionally at the USDA, he worked on projects surrounding the conservation of native and introduced pollinators of blueberries. Currently, his research surrounds understanding tick-host interactions, blowflies as potential vectors of pathogens, and lesser mealworm (Alphitobius disperinus) ingestion of polystyrene. Interested in completing a Ph.D. program, he is steadfast on maintaining a career in medical and veterinary entomology. When not at work, you can find him roasting and brewing coffee, practicing photography skills, attending church and hanging out with friends.

Jose Torres

Research Technician
jose.torres@ag.tamu.edu

Jose joined the lab after completing his B.S. in entomology at Texas A&M University. Previous research encompassed assessing the mutualism between tawny crazy ants (Nylanderia fulva) and sugarcane aphids (Melanaphis sacchari) effects on grain sorghum health. Prior to joining the Kaufman lab team, Jose was a middle and high school educator in Dallas County, TX. While teaching, Jose was also involved in leading and teaching a life science classroom outside the traditional four walls of a classroom to K-12 students. Currently his research surrounds stable fly and tick reproductive fitness driven by factors such as environmental conditions and pesticide resistance. Passionate about teaching and entomology, Jose will proceed onto graduate school to continue research and mentor future generations of entomologists.”