People

Michael Stout was born and raised in Northern California. He received his BA from the University of California, Berkeley in Biological Sciences and his PhD from University of California, Davis, in Entomology. After working as a post-doctoral fellow at UC Davis, Stout came to LSU in 1997 where he has been a professor for 28 years. He is also Head of the Department of Entomology in the LSU AgCenter. His academic interests include plant-insect interactions, host-plant resistance, induced plant responses, and integrated management of insect pests of rice. He plans to continue his role in academia.

Christine Gambino was born and raised in Slidell, Louisiana. She received her BS in Plant and Soil Systems from Louisiana State University in 2021, where she was focused on sustainable agriculture. After graduating Christine started working in Dr. Michael Stout’s entomology lab as a research associate. She worked with a lumber company looking to develop a new type of horticultural substrate from milling refuse. This project ended up moving to another research facility and Christine moved into a parasitology lab focusing on developing oysters (Crassostrea virginica) resistant to Dermo (Perkinsus marinus). After working with the oysters for six months she accepted her current job back in the entomology department. Christine is the extension associate for the CRISP Rice project. She plays a key role in translating research into practical application. She organizes meetings, creates print and digital content, and ensures the project’s benefits reach farmers, consultants, and researchers. She is also getting her MS in entomology under Drs. Michael Stout and Blake Wilson researching the effects of soil health on insect populations in rice. Christine plans to stay in extension for the duration of her career.

Jyoti Sharma was born and raised in India. She completed her BS in 2018 from Punjab Agricultural University in agriculture. She then earned her MS in Entomology from the same school in 2020, where she worked on the characterization of resistance in wild wheat germplasm against Rhopalosiphum padi. In August 2021, she joined Dr. Stout's lab to work on her Ph.D. project titled "Effect of the OsLsi1 mutation on rice defense against insect pests". Her research aims to investigate the mechanism behind silicon-mediated resistance at the biomechanical, biochemical, and molecular levels. The objective of her project is to provide more sustainable pest management strategies. She has a keen interest not only in advancing her research in this field but also in using her knowledge and skills to cultivate crops in an environmentally conscious way that aligns with the broader goals of sustainability.

Laila G. Araujo Santos was born and raised in Eunapolis, Bahia State, Brazil. She received her BS in agronomy from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Minas Gerais State, Brazil. At UFLA, she started working in an integrated pest management and resistance lab for two years. During this period, she was able to conduct experiments on the resistance of coffee (Coffea canephora) cultivars to the coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella), a major pest of coffee crop in Brazil. In 2022 Laila came to the US and spent 6 months working with plant-insect interactions and plant resistance, under supervision of Dr. Michael J. Stout, at LSU. She went back to Brazil for one year, where she worked for Syngenta as a Field Assistant Tech. She mapped pesticide resistance and the effectiveness of products for pest control. Laila joined the Stout Lab in spring 2024. Her MS project underscores the complexity of plant-insect interactions in rice cultivation, particularly emphasizing how the blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by rice at various developmental stages can influence the behavior of pests such as, the rice stink bug (Oebalus pugnax), a major pest of reproductive stage rice on the United States that an effect both yield and grain quality of the crop. She will graduate in 2026 and plans on pursuing her PhD.

Muhammad D. Khan was born and raised in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. He earned his BS in Entomology from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in 2020 and completed his MS in Entomology from the same institution, where his research focused on the resistance mechanism of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella). Following graduation, he worked in thetextile industry as a cotton specialist, at Artistic Milliners in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan (WWF-P). In 2023, he joined Louisiana State University as a Fulbright scholar to pursue a Ph.D. with Dr. Michael Stout and Dr. Blake Wilson. His doctoral research explored integrated approaches such as host plant resistance, crop phenological modelling and chemical control for the management of Mexican rice borer (Eoreuma loftini). He plans to graduate in 2027 and pursue a career as a field-crop entomologist in applied agricultural research and crop protection. He is the first in his family to pursue advanced education abroad.

Lilian Ferreira de Sousa is an agronomist graduated from the Universidade Federal de Lavras, where she conducted undergraduate research focused on plant tissue culture, strawberry cultivation, humic substances, and biofortification. She earned her MS degree in Crop Science at the same institution, working on induced resistance of coffee plants against Hypothenemus hampei using plant growth-promoting bacteria, ethylene synthesis inhibitors, and nanotechnology. Currently, Lilian is pursuing her Ph.D. in Entomology at the Universidade Federal de Lavras, focusing on Integrated Pest Management and Biological Control, with emphasis on induced resistance in rice against Spodoptera frugiperda using elicitors, plant growth-promoting bacteria, and nanomaterials. She is currently a visiting student at the Louisiana State University, working on rice resistance induction against insect pests.