People
Yong-Lak Park
Professor of Entomology
Dr. Yong-Lak Park earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Agricultural
Biology (Major in Applied Entomology) from Seoul National University, South Korea. His doctorate
in Entomology is from Iowa State University. Prior to joining WVU, Dr. Park was a
postdoctoral researcher in Entomology at University of California, Riverside. His
areas of expertise are integrated pest management, agricultural and forest entomology,
invasive species ecology and management, pollination ecology of solitary bees, and
applications of satellites, drones, GIS, remote sensing and artificial intelligence
for entomological research and pest management.
Vicki Kondo
Staff Entomologist, Museum Curator
Vicki Kondo has been a Research Assistant in Entomology at West Virginia University since 1982. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from WVU in 1979 and completed over 70 hours of graduate coursework in Entomology and related disciplines. During this time, she has procured and maintained the live insect species that are part of the WVU Insect Zoo and Museum and conducted outreach programs for schools, public groups and organizations. She is currently involved with upgrade and maintenance of the WVU Arthropod Collection for reference and teaching material.
Sruthi Keerthi Valicharla
Postdoc for AI in Entomology
Dr. Sruthi Keerthi Valicharla is a postdoctoral researcher specializing in artificial intelligence applications in entomology and ecological systems. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering in India and completed both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering at West Virginia University, where her doctoral research focused on the development and application of AI-driven frameworks for ecological monitoring, pest detection, and forest health assessment. Her work is inherently interdisciplinary, bridging electrical engineering, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and entomology to address complex challenges in ecology and invasive species management, and integrates machine learning, deep learning, drone-based sensing, and image analysis to enable automated, scalable, and data-driven approaches for environmental monitoring.Carlos Quesada
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist
Dr. Carlos Quesada completed his master’s and doctorate at Purdue University where
he focused on the integration of chemical and biological approaches toward managing
scale insects. Before joining WVU, he was a pesticide education specialist at Pennsylvania
State University where he upgraded, developed and presented educational materials
about integrated pest management and pesticide safety. Quesada’s research interest
is improving IPM programs to help growers produce high quality crops in ways that
are economically and environmentally sustainable.
Richard Turcotte
Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Richard (Rick) Turcotte is the forest health group leader with the USDA Forest Service,
State and Private Forestry in Morgantown WV. His work focuses on forest health protection
and the detection, monitoring and management of forest insects and diseases. Dr. Turcotte
received his B.S. Environmental Science from Central Connecticut State University
in 1990, his M.S. in Agricultural Biology from New Mexico State University in 1993
and his Ph.D. in Plant and Soil Science (Major in Entomology) from West Virginia University in 2016. He
was an entomologist with the Agricultural Research Service from 1993-2002 and has
been with the US Forest Service since 2002.
Tracy Leskey
Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Tracy Leskey is an entomologist and station leader at the USDA-ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station
in Kearneysville, WV. She earned her Ph.D. degree in
Entomology from the University of Massachusetts, an M.S. in Ecology from the Pennsylvania
State University, and a B.S in Biology from Wilson College. Her research has focused
on the development of behaviorally-based management tools for invasive and native
pests of fruit crops.
Sneha Haridas
Graduate Research Assistant
Sneha Haridas is a PhD candidate in Plant and Soil Science (Entomology focus) at West Virginia University. She serves as a Graduate Research Assistant there since September 2022 and was promoted to Doctoral Candidate in May 2025. Her WVU research centers on dung beetle ecology, diversity, and conservation in Appalachia, alongside agroecological pest management and beneficial insect support via cover crops. She received a $15,000 Graduate Student Grant for regenerative agriculture projects like dung beetle nurseries. Haridas also held leadership as Special Assistant to the GPSS President in 2023-2024.
Kushal Naharki
Graduate Research Assistant
Kushal Naharki is a Ph.D. candidate in Entomology at West Virginia University. He has eight years of interdisciplinary research experience in insect ecology, invasive species management, IPM, weed science with use of cutting-edge applications of machine learning, drone technology and remote sensing in agriculture and forestry. He is currently working on drone based detection and management of invasive species which integrates entomology, remote sensing, and geospatial analysis to develop innovative approaches for early pest detection and precision management. He is currently Chair at ESA Student Affairs Committee and President at Society of Overseas Nepalese Entomologists. He holds a FAA drone pilot licence and commercial pesticide applicator licence. He has led international advisory boards, organized workshops and symposia, and published peer-reviewed articles while actively mentoring students and leading insect outreach programs.
John Moredock
Graduate Student
John Moredock is a graduate student and State Hemp Coordinator at the West Virginia
Department of Agriculture in Charleston, WV. He earned his B.S. degree in Wildlife
Management at WVU. His graduate research involves the use of an introduced natural
enemy insect to combat the mile-a-minute weed, an invasive plant. Currently, he is a WV State Hemp Coordinator.
Emily Johnson
Prospective Graduate Research Assistant
Emily Johnson is a prospective M.S. student in Entomology at West Virginia University.Sanjok Timalsina
Prospective Graduate Research Assistant
Sanjok is a prospective Ph.D. student in Entomology at West Virginia University.Erica Edinger
Prospective Graduate Research Assistant
Erica is a prospective Ph.D. student in Entomology at West Virginia University.