Welcome to the Raguso Lab at Cornell!
We use the tools and concepts of chemical ecology to study small molecules that have large impacts on the biosphere. We work at the rich biological interface between insects and plants, an important source of terrestrial biodiversity and complex ecological interactions. This richness is manifested in the chemistry of defense and resistance, of mutualism and deception, and in the physiology of signal detection and processing, of sensory integration and its impact on behavior. Our research at Cornell is enhanced by the interdisciplinary strengths of our faculty, the passion and ingenuity of our students, the rich holdings of our world class libraries and collections, and an enduring institutional commitment to the field of Chemical Ecology. Come DISCOVER with us!
Below: (L to R) PhD student Ajinkya Dahake measures floral humidity gradients from Datura wrightii growing in Tucson, AZ. PhD student Geoff Broadhead collects floral volatiles from Oenothera flava plants grown under different fertilizer regimes. Postdoctoral fellow Maria Sol Balbuena and undergraduate Claire Makino Duan attempt to train Hyles lineata hawkmoths to blue flowers within a laminar flow wind tunnel. PhD student Kyle Martin hand-pollinates a Titan Arum.