Brian Lovett, PhD

I am the Chief Data Officer at the nonprofit Stand Up for Science.

I was an insect pathologist in the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit in Ithaca, New York. I was forced out of this position during the Deferred Retirement Program in 2025.

In this position, I was developing fungal biotechnology and investigating of the biology and evolution of entomopathogenic fungi. I remain a member of the Cornell Entomology Department and field as an Adjunct Assistant Professor.

I was a post-doc in the Kasson Lab at West Virginia University studying fungi associated with plants and arthropods, particularly pathogens. My PhD is from the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland in the St. Leger Laboratory. I obtained a Microbiology BSc from Michigan State University. My PhD studies applied transcriptomic and genomic approaches to agricultural and vector biology systems to further understand the evolution and ecology of Metarhizium species insect pathogens. I have also assisted in the design and implementation of semi-field trials conducted in a purpose-built MosquitoSphere in Soumousso, Burkina Faso. My PhD studies aim to advance the development of transgenic strains for mosquito control in sub-Saharan Africa and to produce new approaches for manipulating the impact of these versatile fungi on plant roots.

Please email me if you would to consult with me, collaborate or invite me to speak about my work.