Jacob A. Russell

Jacob Russell is a first-generation college student who got his start at the University of Rochester. Working in a variety of Biology labs, he found a second home in the labs of John Jaenike and Wolfgang Stefan, where he developed interests in symbiosis, insects, and molecular ecology. He earned a BS, and went on to a PhD program, training with Nancy Moran at the University of Arizona, where he began a long-term collaboration with Kerry Oliver focusing on facultative heritable symbionts of the...See more

Jacob Russell is a first-generation college student who got his start at the University of Rochester. Working in a variety of Biology labs, he found a second home in the labs of John Jaenike and Wolfgang Stefan, where he developed interests in symbiosis, insects, and molecular ecology. He earned a BS, and went on to a PhD program, training with Nancy Moran at the University of Arizona, where he began a long-term collaboration with Kerry Oliver focusing on facultative heritable symbionts of the pea aphid. From there, Jake trained with Naomi Pierce at Harvard University, striking up another fruitful, long-term collaboration with Corrie Moreau on gut symbionts of ants. Hired at Drexel University, in 2007, Jake has since established a research lab that studies these two very different types of symbioses in ants vs. aphids. His questions are united by a drive to understand how symbionts shape insect evolution, and how symbioses evolve on very rapid and ancient timescales. Hhis lab employs tools ranging from manipulative live insect experiments, extensive field sampling, phylogenetics, and genomics. When not in the lab, field, office, or classroom, Jake enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys. They play a lot of soccer, read a lot of great books, fervently root for Syracuse sports, and enjoy their time sampling beverages and pastries from the Philadelphia-area's finest coffee shops. See less