Researchers

Miranda Barnes

I am a PhD student interested in the genetic underpinnings of insect-microbe symbioses. For my master’s with the Forest Entomology Lab, I worked on two projects: 1) conducting genomic and transcriptomic analyses of mycangia-associated fungi and 2) developing a database for efficient tracking and storage of information related to bark beetle fungal cultures and molecular material. I will be continuing to expand on these projects in the coming years as I work on my doctoral degree.

Education and Experience

2025 – Present: Ph.D. in Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida
2023 – 2025: M.S. in Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida
2020 – 2023: Research Assistant, Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University
2019– 2023: B.S. in Microbiology, Entomology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University
2019: Summer Intern, Biocomplexity Institute, University of Virginia

Publications

Researchers

Miranda Barnes

Education and Experience

Barnes M. From forest to fungus: a roadmap to bark beetle mycobiome research – Optimizing data input for tree-beetle-fungus molecular pipelines. Phytoparasitica 53, 45 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-025-01246-x

Barnes M. & Hulcr, J. (2025). EPPO Datasheet: Harringtonia lauricola. EPPO Bull, 55: 229-235. https://doi.org/10.1111/epp.70001

Barnes M., & Hulcr, J. (2025). Twig girdler: Oncideres spp. (Insecta: Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Onciderini). EDIS – UF/IFAS Extension. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1446

Barnes M., & Price, D. C. (2023). Endogenous viral elements in ixodid tick genomes. Viruses, 15(11), 2201. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15112201