Dr. ADRIENNE BRUNDAGE is a research associate in the FLIES Facility. Adrienne is board certified as a forensic entomologist by the American Board of Forensic Entomology. She received her PhD in entomology from Texas A&M University, and has assisted with forensic investigations from across the United States since 1999. In addition to consulting with law enforcement nationally, Adrienne currently teaches entomology and forensics at both Texas A&M University and University of Florida. She has also taught various entomological and forensic courses at San Jose State University, Baylor University, and Blinn College. She is a prolific public speaker, giving talks and leads training seminars for all ages in forensic entomology from across the country. Her research interest is the decomposition ecology of ephemeral resources, specifically vertebrate remains such as deceased humans, by Dipteran species, and the interactions among associated larvae and bacteria.
Adrienne has an extensive background in behavioral ecology with her PhD research focusing on the roles microbes associated with blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae), specifically the invasive blow fly, Chrysomya rufifacies, and the native blow fly, Cochliomyia macellaria, play with regards to intra- and inter-specific competition. Her current research in the FLIES Facility will examine the interkingdom interactions between Proteus mirabilis and the model blow fly, Lucilia sericata. Her hopes are to elucidate the ecological relevance of volatiles produced by the bacteria, quorum sensing, blow fly attraction and colonization and then expand these efforts to other fly species.