Brian L Fisher
Brian L Fisher
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Brian L Fisher
Dr. Brian L. Fisher
Curator
bfisher [at] calacademy [dot] org
Brian's research focuses on exploring the diversity of ants on earth and ensure these results are available and used immediately for conservation action.  

I created the annual Ant Course in 2001 (16 courses in 9 countries, 452 students from 53 countries), AntWeb.org in 2002 (world's largest online database on ants), and the Madagascar Biodiversity Center in 2004 (Museum in Antananarivo dedicated to biodiversity, conservation and education).

Postdoctoral Fellows

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Dr. Flavia Esteves
Post Doc 2012 - Present
Flavia is working on the taxonomy of Stigmatomma, Discothyrea, and Lioponera in the Malagasy region is an active contributor to the AntCat project.  
Sebastian Salata
Post Doc 2019- Present
Revision of Pheidole in the Malagasy region
Dr. Gabi Camacho
Post Doc 2018 - Present
Gabi is leading the UCE phylogenetic component of the NSF funded Madagascar Microendemism project with Bonnie Blaimer (NCSU).
Dr. Carol Loss
​Post Doc 2018 - Present
Carol is leading the spatial analysis component of the NSF funded Madagascar Microendemism project with Bonnie Blaimer (NCSU).
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Dr. Sándor Csősz
Schlinger Post Doc 2014-2016
Sándor is researching Aphaenogaster, Ponera, and Lioponera in the Malagasy region and developing new methods to incorporate morphological data in taxonomic revisions. 


Graduate Students

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Jayanthi Puniamoorthy
Graduate Student at San Francisco State University
Jayanthi is now back in Singapore and taking a break from her studies
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Dimby Raharinjanahary
PhD student at the University of Antananarivo. Also Madagascar coordinator for the ​Insect Biome Atlas project
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Andrianjaka Ravelomanan
Postdoctoral researcher at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center in Antananarivo. 

Ant Lab Research Assistants

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Michele Esposito
Lab Manager and Curatorial Assistant
Michele manages lab activities and is team leader for AntWeb imaging and specimen digitization projects.  
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Mark Johnson
AntWeb engineer
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Jessica Huppi
Digital Artist
Jessica is creating the line drawings and maps for the Ant Genera of the world series.  Jessica and Michele work together to make all we do look good. 
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Zach Lieberman
Imaging Specialist
Zach was part of AntWeb's World Imaging tour and spent time at the largest ant collections in Europe and is now going to Marin College.  

Ant Lab Associates

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Dr. Eli Sarnat
Research Associate
Eli Sarnat frequents our lab to work on Fiji Ants and the taxonomy and identification of invasive ants.  He is currently working on a key to all introduced Pheidole species.  Check out his work at;
  • Homepage
  • Antkey website
  • Pacific Invasive Ants Key
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Dr. Rick Overson
Rick is working on a taxonomic revision of Prionopelta of Malagasy region. He is currently Postdoctoral Researcher at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Former student and Postdocs

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Dr. Yoshimura Masashi
Former Postdoc at CAS where he pioneered male based ant systematics. He is now a Researcher with Evan Economo at OIST, Japan.
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Dr. Georg Fischer
Former Postdoc at CAS where he worked on the Pheidole of the Malagasy region.  He is now a Postdoc  with Evan Economo at OIST, Japan working on the global  phylogeny of Pheidole. 
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Dr. Paco Hita Garcia
Former Postdoc at CAS where he worked on the Tetramorium of the Malagasy region.  He is now a Postdoc  with Evan Economo at OIST, Japan working on the global  phylogeny of Tetramorium.  Starting in January 2015, he will start his new position as Curator at Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Germany
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Dr. Jean Claude Rakotonirina
Former MS student at SFSU and PhD student at the University of Antananarivo.  He is now a researcher at the Madagascar Biodiversity Center


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Dr. Corrie Moreau
Former MS student
Corrie went on to do her PhD at Harvard and is now curator and acclaimed scientist at the Field Museum: Moreau Lab




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Gary Ouellette
Former MS  Student at Sonoma State.  Gary is now at the the USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD.   United States Department of Agriculture
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Kevin Clarke
Former MS student at SFSU and now running his own entomology art studio: BugUnderGlass
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Kelly Herbinson
Former MS student at SFSU
Kelly is now a Desert Tortoise Researcher and on the board of the Mojave Desert Land Trust.

Summer School for Systematics Interns

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Jacob Idec
2018 SSI intern
​Hendrix College

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Isabella Muratore
2014 SSI intern
Haverford College


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Brett Morgan
2013 SSI Intern
Cornell University '14
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Ida Naughton
2012 SSI Intern
UCB '13, current graduate student at UCSD
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Michael Bollinger
2011 SSI intern
2012 Madagascar Intern
UCD Entomology
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Jordan Hollarsmith
2010 SSI intern
Columbia University '12
Graduate student at UCD researching giant kelp biogeography and climate change.
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Veronica Sinotte
University of Scranton, PA

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Katie Sanko
University of California, Berkeley
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