Melissa Whitaker

Dr. Melissa Whitaker serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at East Tennessee State University's School of Science, Engineering, and Math. Based in Brown Hall Room 432, she leads the Whitaker Lab with research focused on chemical ecology of plant-insect interactions, teaching courses in Entomology, Medicinal Plants, and Genomic Bioinformatics.

Her pioneering work in neurochemical ecology investigates how neuroactive compounds produced by plants and fungi influence animal behavior despite these organisms lacking nervous systems. Current projects examine cycad-Lepidoptera interactions (particularly Eumaeus butterflies), Appalachian medicinal plant ecology, aposematic evolution in butterflies, and insect trophic networks. The lab employs interdisciplinary methodologies spanning field ecology, molecular techniques, bioinformatics, and bio-inspired robotics to bridge neurochemical mechanisms with ecological outcomes.

Dr. Whitaker actively recruits Master's and undergraduate researchers through open lab positions, with recent student presentations at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology conference and International Entomological Congress in Kyoto. Her teaching portfolio directly supports research training through BIOL 3480 (General Entomology), BIOL 4097/5097 (Medicinal Plants), and BIOL 4667/5667 (Functional Genomics & Bioinformatics), creating pathways for student involvement in active research programs.