Our Intrepid Team of Chemical and Molecular Ecologists!

Chris

Chris loves plant chemical ecology, data analysis, Non-linear Career Paths, and Work-Life Balance.

His Curriculum Vitae lists professional accomplishments.
Find out more.

Maria

Cyanide, Sugars, Amino Acids, oh my!

Maria is a Grawemeyer Scholar (!!), and interested in rural healthcare, humanity, and the relationship between primary and specialized metabolic processes in plants!
Find out more.

Former Lab Members

Sarah Bissmeyer

Sarah joined the lab as an independent study student. She had taken Plant Biology in the previous semester, and had expressed an interest in learning about the process of doing research. She studied how the dose of a plant-derived volatile cue affected the fitness of herbivores. She work tirelessly to set up an ambitious experiment with Arabidopsis. She has presented her results as a poster to the Kentucky Academy of Sciences and published her work in the Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship.

"I've consistently admired your pursuit of knowledge and your leadership. You have been my favorite professor at UofL. I sincerely value your guidance and compassion as I have been in the lab. You've taught me so much, not only regarding chemical ecology but also in helping me grow as a person. You've made a great impact on me, and I truly appreciate it."

Sarah Donnell

Sarah joined the lab as an undergraduate research assistant. She assisted in all manner of lab activities to help keep the lab running smoothly.

"I have had so much fun in your lab and am very grateful to work with you and so many other amazing students! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work in your lab, experience a lab environment, learn new techniques and exciting ecological discoveries. I am very grateful for your support and guidance!"

Kristen Ehringer

Kristen became fasinated by how the sensitive plant, Mimosa pudica, moves its leaves. As an independent study project, she decided to ask how drought (or soil water availablity) would affect the leaf closure and recovery time.

Grace Freundlich

Grace was a graduate student in the lab. She started as a TA and then transitioned to a research assistant funded on my NSF "priming costs" grant. She conducted three full research field seasons and a fourth field season in 2019 all to address aims of the NSF project, including physiological costs of plant defense priming and transgenerational priming.

"I've learned a great deal from working in your lab. You have helped me a lot in becoming the scientist I am now, and for that I will always be grateful."

Liana Greenberg

Liana was one of the students in my "Insect-Plant Biology" class in Fall 2014 at the New College of Florida. She came to our group for the Summer 2017, with the goal of helping with an intense field season for the NSF "priming costs" project and conducting a independent project assessing the effects of persistent exposure of plant volatiles on pollinator behavior. She is currently a Master's student in the Department of Entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

"Dr. Frost has raised the bar from what I expect from professors."

Rachel Haslem

Rachel was one of the best and most enthusiastic student lab workers that any PI could hope for. She was a jack-of-all-trades in helping anyone in the lab who needed assistance.

"Over my two years in your lab, I witnessed what it looks like foster an environment of creativity, curiosity, and collaboration. Thank you for inviting me into your lab with no experience or background, and for teaching me so well. You are an incredible researcher and a model of a leader."

Gabe Joachim

Gabe was one of the students in my "Insect-Plant Biology" class in Fall 2014 at the New College of Florida. He came to our group for the Summer 2017, and within a day of arrival became fasicinated with our observation that the sensitive plant, Mimosa pudica, could habituate to ignore a non-adaptive stress. He spent the summer testing how salt stress would influence sensitive plant behavior, and even turned this summer project into a successful thesis project!

"Thank you again for everything. Working for you this summer really turned around my work ethic, my motivation, and most importantly how I see myself as a scientist. Your help and constant encouragement really has changed me for the better."

Abhinav Maurya

Abhi was a graduate student in the lab. He worked on seed priming with plant volatiles and the direct and indirect toxicity of different plant volatiles to a variety of caterpillar species.

Carly Nunamaker

Carly joined the lab as a field assistant on my NSF-funded project. She then decided to pursue a thesis in the lab for her senior year. She has focused her effort on the Ferric Reduction Oxidase (FRO) gene family in Arabidopsis.

"Thank you Dr. Frost! Its been such a pleasure to be part of your lab, I am so thankful to all that you have done for me!"

Rakhi Patel

Rakhi conducted a thesis project in the lab to explore the relationship between insect herbivore host specialization and suceptibility to the toxic volatile compound indole. This thesis work formed a cornerstone of our manuscript that has been published in the Journal of Pest Science.

Dr. Leila Pazouki

Leila was a postdoctoral scientist in the lab. She was funded on my NSF "priming costs" project, and worked on a project linking plant volatiles and iron homeostasis.

Allie Peot

Allie holds the distinction of being the first student in the Frost lab. She joined as a work-study student in August 2015, right when I was settling into UofL. I could not have been more fortunate to have Allie.

Jared Scott

Jared was a graduate student in the lab. Using results from my previous RNA-sequencing project, Jared became interested in the potential role of carbonic anhydrases in modulating plant growth and defense.

Conner Slone

Conner was an undergraduate student in the lab. He started as a student worker, but soon picked up his own project looking at the transgenerational effects of herbivory on seed physiology as a component of my NSF "priming costs" project.

Julia Stekardis

Julia was a student at Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science and a freshman at Western Kentucky University who completed a summer project in the lab. She received a Gatton Research Internship Grant for the summer. She worked with Leila Pazouki on a project aimed as assessing the dose response of FRO genes to indole exposure as part of my NSF "priming costs" project.

"I really appreciate how you genuinely care about my well-being, along with the well-being of the rest of the individuals in your lab group... A million thank yous for everything you have done to help me!"