Nicolas Buchon

Nicolas Buchon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). He established his laboratory at Cornell in 2012 and leads the Buchon Lab, which focuses on understanding the genetic and cellular mechanisms that maintain tissue homeostasis in response to pathogens and the microbiota. His research spans multiple model systems including Drosophila melanogaster, mouse organoids, and disease vectors such as mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) and ticks.

Dr. Buchon's research program investigates the three-way dialogue between gut microbes, intestinal stem cells, and gut structure and function. Through genomic and genetic approaches, his team characterizes new pathways involved in both resistance and tolerance to infection. His laboratory integrates multiple aspects of host-microbe interactions, including immune pathway regulation and microbial signaling. Recent work includes a 2024 study on how viruses cross different tissues in insects to infect new hosts and a 2020 study identifying how sex peptides trigger female fruit fly gut expansion after mating.

Dr. Buchon teaches BioG1440 'Comparative Physiology' and Entom4830 'Insect Physiology,' connecting his research expertise with classroom instruction. His laboratory maintains active research projects examining cell dynamics in disease vectors, intestinal stem cell activity using mouse organoids, and the impact of nutrients on organ size. The lab's work has significant implications for understanding disease transmission by insect vectors and advancing fundamental knowledge of host-microbe relationships in health and disease.