Patrick O'Grady

Professor,, Department of Entomology

Patrick O'Grady received his B.S. in Biology from Clarkson University (1993) and conducted his doctoral research with Dr. Margaret Kidwell at the University of Arizona where he received his PhD in Genetics (1998). He was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Rob DeSalle at the American Museum of Natural History (1998-2003). Patrick has been a faculty member at the University of Vermont (2003-2005) and the University of California at Berkeley (2005-2017). He is currently a Professor in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University (2017-present) and Director of the National Drosophila Species Stock Center.

Recent Research

Dr. O'Grady's research focuses understanding the patterns and processes that generate and maintain biological diversity. Research projects in his laboratory cover a range of biological disciplines including morphology and taxonomy, phylogenetic systematics, population genetics, molecular evolution and genomics to examine the evolutionary history of endemic Hawaiian Insects, particularly flies in the family Drosophilidae. The National Science Foundation, the United States Forest Service and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have provided funding for his research. He has authored over 100 papers, described 80 species, and has three taxa named after him, a fruit fly (Drosophilidae: Drosophila), a leaf hopper (Cicadellidae: Nesophrosyne) and a long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae: Campsicnemus).

Selected Publications:

Hembry, DH, Bennett, GM, Bess, E, Cooper, I, Jordan, S, Liebherr, JK, Magnacca, KN, Percy, DM, Polhemus, D, Rubinoff, D, Shaw, K and O'Grady, PM. (in press). Insect Radiations on Islands: Biogeographic Pattern and Evolutionary Process in Hawaiian Insects. Quarterly Review of Biology
Santos Rampasso, A, and O'Grady PM. 2021. Standardized terminology and visual atlas of the external morphology and terminalia for the genus Scaptomyza (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Fly 16(1): 37-61. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336934.2021.1969220
Syed, ZA, Dallai, R, Nasirzadeh, N, Brill, JA, O’Grady, PM, Cong, S, Leef, EM, Rice, S, Asif, A, Nguyen, S, Hansen, MM, Dorus, S, and Pitnick, S. 2021. Sperm Cyst “Looping”: A Developmental Novelty Enabling Extreme Male Ornament Evolution, Cells 10, 2762. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10102762
Anholt, RRH, Wolfner, MF, O’Grady, PM and Harbison, ST. 2020. Evolution of Reproductive Behavior. Genetics 214 (1): 49 – 73.
Fan, Y, O’Grady, PM, Yoshimizu, M, Ponlawat, A, Kaufman, PE, Scott, JE. 2020. Evidence for both sequential mutations and recombination in the evolution of kdr alleles in Aedes aegypti. PLOS Tropical Diseases 14(4): e0008154. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008154
Morris, EE, O’Grady, PM, Csoka, G, Hajek, AE. 2020. Genetic variability among native and introduced strains of the parasitic nematode Deladenus siricidicola. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2020.107385

Courses Taught

ENTOM 9900: Doctoral Level Thesis Research
BIOG 4990: Independent Undergraduate Research in Biology
ENTOM 2120: Insect Biology
ENTOM 4990: Undergraduate Research in Entomology
ENTOM 4980: Undergraduate Teaching

Contact Information

3140 Comstock Hall

(607) 255-8981

pmo43 [at] cornell.edu

- O'Grady Lab
- The National Drosophila Species Stock Center