Department Staff

Derek S. Sikes

Curator of Insects / Professor of Entomology
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
email: dssikes 'at' alaska.edu
phone: 907-474-6278
fax: 907-474-5469

Google Scholar profile

Derek Sikes was hired as the curator of insects at the University of Alaska Museum in July 2006. He is an advocate of the study and protection of arthropod, specifically beetle, biodiversity. His early training included large-scale beetle inventory and community ecology projects in addition to traditional alpha taxonomy and morphological based phylogenetics. He combines traditional with molecular phylogenetic approaches and has happily dived into the work of documenting the (non-marine) Arthropod fauna of Alaska.

 

Jessica Rykken UAM Insect Collection Manager jjrykken'at'alaska.edu  Dr. Rykken has been conducting pollinator surveys in Alaskan National Parks since 2012 and has contributed over 40,000 identified and prepared bees and flower flies to the University of Alaska Museum Insect Collection. She began as UAM's first Entomology Collection Manager Oct 2023.

 

 

Thalles Platiny Lavinscky Pereira UAM Insect Collection Research Affiliate University of Alaska Museum 1962 Yukon Dr. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99775 tplavinsckypereira'at'alaska.edu

Thalles was awarded a UAF Centennial Postdoctoral Fellowship and worked at UAM from February 2021 to spring 2023. His research focus is the diversity of flies (Diptera) in the family Phoridae in Alaska and Beringia, using morphological and molecular data (barcoding with nanopore sequencing technology). His research interests also include ant parasitoids (Apocephalus series - Phoridae – Diptera), and curation of the University of Alaska Museum’s Diptera collection. Google Scholar profile.

 

Taylor Kane

UAM Insect Collection Graduate Student (graduated summer 2020)
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
ahaberski 'at'gmail.com

Adam Haberski began his MS program in the fall of 2017 and completed an ecological project examining beetle, spider, and bee communities in forest, shrub, and tundra habitats along an elevational gradient in Denali National Park. He finished his MS degree in August 2020. He published a review of the Orthoptera of Alaska -  as well as a work comparing trap methods, projects he had begun as an undergraduate. His MS thesis work in Denali was also published. He went on to obtain a PhD in systematic entomology under Michael Caterino at Clemson University (graduated 2024).

 

Logan Mullen

UAM Insect Collection Graduate Student (graduated Summer 2017)
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
ljmullen2 'at' alaska.edu

Logan began his MS graduate program in the fall of 2013 and conducted a taxonomic revision of the beetle genus Phlaeopterus (Staphylinidae: Omaliinae). He has published the first chapter describing species with an identification key. His second chapter which estimates the phylogeny of the genus using both morphology and molecular data was published in 2021.

Kathryn Daly

UAM Insect Collection Graduate Student (Graduated Fall 2018)
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775

kmdaly 'at' alaska.edu

Kathryn Daly began her work in the UA Museum as a lab technician working on the K.W. Philip Butterfly collection in 2014 with funding from the National Park Service. She began her MS thesis research on Alaskan butterflies Fall Semester 2015. Her thesis research focused on an examination of the historical data in Alaska's butterfly fauna to assess if there is a climate change signal related to body size and phenology.

Jill Stockbridge

UAM Insect Collection Graduate Student (graduated Fall 2014)
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
jmstockbridge 'at' alaska.edu

Jill Stockbridge became interested in entomology in her last semester as an undergraduate in 2009 when she attended Dr. Derek Sikes' entomology course.  She worked as a lab technician in Dr. Sikes' lab for one year before pursuing a MS degree in Biology.  Jill's MS project focused on the effects of different forestry thinning practices on the biodiversity of beetles and spiders on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.  She also produced a baseline inventory of the beetles and spiders on Prince of Wales Island, contributing to Alaska's growing invertebrate checklist. Jill graduated with her MS in Aug 2014. She discovered a new species of Mecoptera, the second for the subfamily Caurininae of the family Boreidae, which she described..

Brandi Fleshman

UAM Insect Collection Graduate Student (former)
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
bfleshman2 'at' alaska.edu

EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Award, summer 2007 and Independent Research (1 term) student on The Spider Fauna of Alaska. Brandi started the MS program in the spring of 2009 and in addition to her work updating the spider checklist for the state she focused on the spider fauna of Conservation Reserve Program lands in Delta Junction, Alaska, comparing spiders of older with younger plots.  Brandi helped with this study on the spider fauna of the Toolik field station in Arctic Alaska.

Kenelm W. Philip

UAM Insect Collection Research Affiliate (1971-2014)


Ken worked on the butterfly fauna of Alaska and the circumpolar north since 1966. Ken founded the Alaska Lepidoptera Survey in 1970 and ran it until his death in 2014. The ALS collection is the second largest North American arctic butterfly collection in the world (behind the CNC). His field guide to the Alaskan butterflies is now in its second edition and available as a free PDF here. Ken passed away 13 March 2014 but his scientific legacy survives in the form of his collected specimens (now part of the UAM Insect Collection and the Smithsonian). A nice write up on him is here. A website showcasing the pinned specimens of Ken's collection for educational, historical, and scientific use, was launched in 2019.

James J. Kruse

UAM Insect Collection Research Affiliate
USDA Forest Service
Leader and Supervisory Entomologist
Lakewood Service Center
State & Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection 
Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Region
740 Simms Street
Golden, CO 80401

jkruse 'at' fs.fed.us

Jim was the first Curator of Insects at UAM (2000-2003). Currently, Jim works as the Leader and Supervisory Entomologist for the USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection unit in Golden, CO. He is trained in traditional taxonomy as well as morphological and molecular phylogenetics of the Lepidoptera. Current interests include all defoliating insects, particularly invasive and cyclical outbreak species, and especially the lepidopteran family Tortricidae.

Jozef Slowik

UAM Insect Collection Research Affiliate
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775

slowspider 'at' gmail.com 

Joey Slowik began work as a graduate student in the MS program in the Fall of 2008. He worked as a curatorial assistant in the Arachnid Collection under Dr. Paula Cushing of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science from 2004-2007. Joey's focus is on spider taxonomy, life history, faunistics, and phylogeny, specifically the spider families Linyphiidae and Lycosidae. Joey completed his MS degree on a species group in the genus Pardosa in the summer of 2011. This resulted in two publications - one that synonymized four species and one on molecular phylogenetics. Joey continues to work on Alaska spiders in collaboration with projects at UAM and now works for UAF Cooperative Extension.

Steve Peek

UAM Insect Collection Research Affiliate
University of Alaska Museum
1962 Yukon Dr.
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775

stevepeek 'at' att.net

Steve Peek has a general passion for all flies and a MS degree in Aquatic Ecology (under Dr. Mark Oswood, UAF) during which he mastered identification of Chironomidae immatures. He began volunteering in the insect collection identifying flies in 2009 and as of 2024 has identified over 13,000 specimens to family, genus, or species. During the summer 2011 he joined Sayde Ridling (undergraduate lab tech) on an expedition to sample insects on islands near Kasatochi volcano in the Aleutians.

 

Laboratory Technicians

James Phillips                May 2024 - July 2024
Hannah Doerrier             Sep 2021 - 2023
Madison Cook                   Sep 2021 - Dec 2021
Jayce Williamson              Sep 2013 - present
Mary Wyatt                        Dec 2011 - Apr 2020, March 2021-present
Taylor Kane                          Sep 2019 - Aug 2020 (started PhD degree Sep 2020)
Duncan Ziegler                  Aug 2019 - Jul 2020
Michael Apperson           July 2019 - Apr 2020
Dana Brennan                     Jan 2019 - May 2019, Jan 2020 - April 2020
Emily VanNortwick            Jun - July 2018
Alan Roos                         Oct 2017 - May 2019
Karissa Amador                Sep 2017 - Dec 2018
Zachary Snelson              May 2017 - Jun 2019
Isaac Davis                       May 2017
Rob Stewart-Rogers        Oct 2016 - May 2017
Tazheem Rubio                Sep 2016 - Apr 2018
Renee Nowicki                 July 2016 - July 2021 (started MS degree in Georgia Southern University)
Adam Haberski                 Jan 2015 - 2017 (Completed his MS degree 2019)
Kathryn Daly                     Jun 2014 - 2015 (Completed her MS degree 2018)
Jennifer MacDougall         Jun 2014 - Sep 2014
Marisol Bastiani                Jan 2014 - Jun 2014
Lacey Broskey                  Sep 2013 - May 2016
Nolan Rappa                     Oct 2013 - Sep 2014 (completed entomology graduate degree at Univ. Bremen, Germany)
Ian MacDougall                 July 2013 - May 2014
Samantha Burd                Feb 2013 - Dec 2014
Miles McHugh                July - Sep 2013; June 2014 - Aug 2017
Trista Saunders                 Sep 2012 - Jun 2013
Sarah Meierotto                Apr - Aug 2011, 2013 - 2015 (Completed her MS degree, U. KY)
Whitney Junker                 Jun - Aug 2011
Sarah Huguet                    Jun 2010 - Apr 2011
Cassidy Scholar                Jun - Oct 2010
Casey Bickford                  Jan 2010 - Jan 2013
Kelly C. May                      May 2009 - Aug 2011
Jill Stockbridge                  May-2009 - Jun 2010 (MS student, graduated 2014)
Sayde Ridling                    May-Aug 2009; Jun 2010 - 2013
Tamara Sayre                   Jul-Dec 2008
Carolene Coon                  May 2008 - May 2011, Sept 2018 - April 2019
Laura Lund                        May-Nov 2008
Katelyn McDonald             Apr-Jul 2008
Candice Flint                      Sep-Dec 2007
Brandi Fleshman               Jun 2007 - Mar 2010
Andrea Neighbors              May-Aug 2007

Entomology Volunteers

Hashini Jayakody  Nov 2022 - present
Voss Whitmore    Sep 2020 - Apr 2020 (MRAP)
Ashley Smith          Sep 2020 - Apr 2020 (MRAP)
Elizabeth Beks         Sep 2018 - Apr 2020
Chris Greenfield-Pastro Dec 2017 - Apr 2020
Megan Booysen      Sep 2017 - Apr 2018 (& Bug Camp assistant, 2017, 2015, 2014)
Sarah Holm             Sept 2017 - Apr 2018
Kelvin Chen             Jul - Aug 2016
Zachary Snelson      Oct 2015 - May 2016
Tazheem Rubio        Sep 2015 - Jun 2016
Rob Stewart-Rogers Sep 2015 - Jun 2016
Emily Smith              Sep 2015 - Dec 2016
Renee Nowicki         Jan 2015 - June 2016
Allie Eby                   Jan 2015 - May 2015 (MRAP)
Addie Willsrud          Jan 2015 - May 2015
Adam Haberski         June 2014 - Dec 2014
Isaac Morgan            Feb 2014 - Aug 2014
Ian MacDougall         Feb 2012 - May 2012
Brandon Emmett       Jan 2012 - May 2012
Kate Schroeder         Jan -Apr 2011
Alexis Bystedt            Jun - Jul 2010
Jackson Drew            Feb - Apr 2010
Genevieve Henry       Nov 2009 - Mar 2010
Mary Wyatt                 Aug 2009 - Dec 2011
Krystal Osborne         Nov 2009 - Apr 2010
Steve Peek                Jan 2009 - present
Sayde Ridling             Jan - Apr 2009
Tim Bouta                   Dec 2008
Kelly May                   Jul 2008 - May 2009
Holly Midkiff                Mar-May 2008
Melissa Deiman         Feb-Mar 2008
Kevin Wakeman         Feb - Mar 2008
Katelyn McDonald      Oct 2007 - May 2008
Casey Reilly               May - Aug 2007
Kennan Jeannet         Apr-May 2007
Candice Flint              Mar-Apr 2007
Bethany Sweet           Mar-May 2007, May-Aug 2008
Tommy Woolf             Dec 2006 - Mar 2007
Brandi Fleshman        Nov-Dec 2006