Todd Schlenke

Todd Schlenke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on understanding the molecular, genetic, and behavioral mechanisms underlying host-parasitoid interactions, particularly between Drosophila fruit flies and their parasitoid wasps. He investigates how flies detect and defend against parasitoids through behaviors like self-medication, physical encapsulation, and chemical signaling. His work bridges evolutionary biology, immunology, and genetics to uncover coevolutionary dynamics in these systems.

Key research interests include the role of JAK-STAT signaling in parasitoid resistance, the manipulation of host resources by endoparasitoids, and the genetic basis of behavioral immune responses. Schlenke has contributed to developing molecular tools for parasitoid wasps and created databases for parasitoid identification. His grants include an EAGER project (2020) for functional genetic tools and NSF-funded studies on transposon movement between fly and wasp genomes.

His research highlights tradeoffs between defense strategies and reproductive fitness, with notable findings on ethanol-based self-medication in flies and the role of hemomucin in immune responses. While no awards are listed here, his work has significantly advanced understanding of host-parasite interactions at ecological and molecular levels.