Robert F. Mitchell, Ph.D.

The Mitchell lab explores the field of chemical ecology, a broad discipline that addresses how organisms produce and use chemical signals to exchange information, locate food and mates, and generally navigate their environment. Our primary focus is the chemical ecology of insects, many species of which rely heavily on olfaction (smell) and gustation (taste) as sensory inputs. Research in chemical ecology is therefore critical to understanding how insects interact with each other and their environment, and how we might manage species that are pests.

Our research is guided by two major questions:

We address these through several lines of research, including the ecology and behavior of insects in the field and the chemoreceptors that detect chemicals at the molecular level. Current lines of research primarily involve the Coleoptera (beetles) and especially the beetle family Cerambycidae (longhorned beetles), which are excellent models for olfactory biology because of their strong reliance on chemical signals for mating and oviposition.