The NDSSC currently maintains a living collection of over 250 Drosophila species represented by approximately 1600 stocks that are used by biological researchers focusing on questions in evolution, ecology, developmental biology, physiology, neurobiology, comparative genomics, and immunology.
Who We Are
Director
Dr. Patrick O’Grady
Professor, Entomology | ogrady@cornell.edu
My research uses DNA sequences to understand insect evolution. I am working on two large groups, fruit flies (Drosophilidae) and craneflies (Tipulidae). Drosophila and relatives are some of the most important model systems in modern genetics, yet much of their evolutionary relationships remain unknown. Craneflies, with over 18,000 known species, are the largest family of flies and a major component of the earth’s biodiversity.
Center Manager
Lidane Cruz Noronha
Staff | lcn27@cornell.edu
Lidane received her B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Diego where she was first introduced to the National Drosophila Species Stock Center. Her current role in the center’s new location includes overseeing the day-to-day operations such as maintenance and additions to the collection, keeping all social media accounts up to date, hiring and managing student workers, and ensuring all species in the center are available to research labs at any time.
