RESEARCH OVERVIEW
The Saarman Lab studies spatial evolutionary ecology, with a focus on understanding and predicting insect distributions, population connectivity, and the spread of adaptive traits across landscapes. Our research is organized around three interconnected themes:

1. Spatial Modeling of Insect Dispersal and Population Connectivity
How are natural populations structured, what facilitates or restricts gene flow, and how can we best model, predict, and forecast these dynamics? We develop spatially explicit approaches that integrate genetic, ecological, and environmental data to understand and predict insect movement, population connectivity, and vector distributions.

2. Genetic Variation, Population History, and Adaptive Evolution
What can genetic variation in wild populations tell us about their history, and how do gene flow, hybridization, and introgression generate, maintain, or spread adaptive variation? We use population genetic and genomic data to reconstruct population and invasion histories and investigate how geographic, environmental, and intrinsic barriers shape population structure, hybridization, introgression, and adaptive traits, including insecticide resistance.
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3. Environmental Drivers of Vector Ecology and Evolution
How do environmental and evolutionary processes shape vector populations across space and through time, particularly as landscapes and climates change? We examine how environmental variation shapes insect distributions, ecological interactions, hybrid zones, and adaptive processes, with a particular focus on mosquito vectors and the consequences for disease risk.

REFEREED PUBLICATIONS
*Indicates close mentorship by Saarman NP
• ORCID: 0000-0001-8974-0301
• Google: 94CynDkAAAAJ&hl
• Citations: 972
• h-index: 19 (number of h papers that have each been cited at least h times)
• i10-index: 26 (number of papers that have each been cited at least 10 times)

STUDENT-LED REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES – IN REVIEW

31. Calhoun EG*, Graybeal K*, Jenkins E*, White G, Faraji A, Oakeson K, Carter A, and Saarman NP. Linking mosquito host use to West Nile virus activity across an urban gradient. In review. Parasites & Vectors.

30. Graybeal KB*, Brophy J, Carter AM, Allen T*, Calhoun EG*, White GS, Bibbs CS, Byers NM, Faraji A, Faiman R, Glancey M, Markle H, Gloria-Soria A, and Saarman NP. Ecological partitioning in Culex mosquitoes and implications for West Nile virus transmission dynamics in Salt Lake City, Utah. In review. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.

REFEREED JOURNAL ARICLES – IN REVIEW

29. Saarman NP, Griffiths R*, Bishop A*, Moses C*, Meredith EG*, Calhoun E*, Bateta R, Okeyo WA, Mireji PO, Murilla G, Okoth S, Opiro R, Echodu R, Aksoy S, Caccone A. A machine learning approach to integrating genetic and ecological data in tsetse flies (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) for spatially explicit vector control planning. Major-revision decision 8/7/2026; resubmitted 8/23/2026; in review. Evolutionary Applications. 
[Preprint: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.11.750686]

REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES – PUBLISHED

28. Saarman NP, De Beer C, Solano P, Barreaux A, Gimonneau G, Ravel S, Opiro R, Amatulli G, Cecchi G, Aksoy S, Weiss B, Bourtzi K and Abdalla AMM. From Islands to Landscapes: Integrated Genomic and Advanced Eco-Geographic Tools in Area-wide Tsetse Control. In Press; accepted 9/14/2026. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 
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27. Saarman NP, Graybeal K*, Calhoun E*, Tyler S*, Faiman R, Schultz A, Pellegrini R, Arent S, Gloria-Soria A (2025). Range shifts in Culex quinquefasciatus and hybrids in the Culex pipiens species complex across mid-latitudes of North America. One Health, 21: 101205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2025.101205  

26. Schiebelhut LM, Guillaume AS, Kuhn A, Schweizer RM, Armstrong EE, Beaumont MA, Byrne M, Cosart T, Hand BK, Howard L, Mussmann SM, Narum SR, Rasteiro R, Rivera-Colon AG, Saarman NP, Sethuraman A, Taylor HR, Thomas GW, Wellenreuther M, Luikart G (2024). Genomics and conservation: Guidance from training to analyses and applications. Molecular Ecology Resources, 24(2): e13893. http://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13893 

25. Saarman NP, Son JH*, Zhao H, Cosme LV, Kong Y, Li M*, Wang S*, Weiss BL, Echodu R, Opiro R*, Serap Aksoy S, and Caccone A (2023). Genomic evidence of sex chromosome aneuploidy and infection-associated genotypes in the tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes, the major vector of African trypanosomiasis in Uganda. Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 114: 105501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105501 

24. Vavassori L*, Honnen A-C*, Saarman NP, Caccone A, Müller P (2022). Multiple introductions and overwintering shape the progressive invasion of Aedes albopictus beyond the Alps. Ecology and Evolution, 12(7), e9138. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9138

23. Stiller J, Short G, Hamilton H, Saarman NP, Longo S, Wainwright P, Rouse GW, Simison WB (2022). Phylogenomic analysis of Syngnathidae reveals novel relationships, origins of endemic diversity and variable diversification rates. BMC Biology, 20, 75. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-022-01271-w

22. Son JH, Weiss BL, Schneider DI, Kisweda-sida D, Gstottenmayer F, Opiro R, Echodu R, Saarman NP, Attardo G, Onyango M, Abdalla A, Aksoy S (2021). Infection with endosymbiotic Spiroplasma disrupts tsetse (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) metabolic and reproductive homeostasis. PLoS Pathogens, 17(9): e1009539. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009539 

21. Bishop A*, Hyseni C, Pless E*, Amatulli G, Caccone A, and Saarman NP (2021). A machine learning approach to integrating genetic and ecological data in tsetse flies (Glossina pallidipes) for spatially explicit vector control planning. Evolutionary Applications, 14(7): 1762-1777. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13237 

20. Schweizer RM, Saarman NP, Ramstad KM, Forester BR, Kelley JL, Hand BK, Malison RL, Ackiss AS, Watsa M, Beja-Pereira A, Waples RS, Funk WC, and Luikart G (2021). Conservation genomics: Honing your skills, hedging bets, and learned lessons from ConGen 2019. Journal of Heredity, 112(4): 313-327. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab019

19. Pless E*, Saarman NP, Powell JR, Caccone A, and Amatulli G (2021). A machine-learning approach to map landscape connectivity in Aedes aegypti with genetic and environmental data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(9): e2003201118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2003201118 

18. Crandall SG, Saarman NP, Gilbert GS (2020). Fungal spore diversity, community structure, and traits across a vegetation mosaic. Fungal Ecology, 45: 100920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funeco.2020.100920 

17. Saarman NP, Bateta R*, Okeyo WA*, Dion K, Mireji PO, Okoth S, Malele I, Murilla M, Aksoy S, Caccone A (2020). Phylogeography and population structure of the tsetse fly Glossina pallidipes in Kenya and the Serengeti ecosystem. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 14(2): e0007855. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007855 

16. Saarman NP, Schneider DI*, Onyango MG*, Hyseni C, Opiro R*, Echodu R, et al. (2019). Spatio-temporal distribution of Spiroplasma infections in the tsetse fly (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) in northern Uganda. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 13(8): e0007340. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.00073

15. Grove S, Saarman NP, Gilbert GS, Faircloth B, Haubensak KA, Parker I (2019). Ectomycorrhizas and tree seedling establishment are strongly influenced by forest edge proximity but not soil inoculum. Ecological Applications, e01867. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1867 

14. Harencar JG*, Lutgen GA, Taylor ZM, Saarman NP, Yost, JM (2018). How population decline can impact genetic diversity: a case study of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in Morro Bay, California. Estuaries and Coasts, s12237-018-0421-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-018-0421-8 

13. Saarman NP, Opiro R, Echodu R, Opiyo EA, Dion K, Aksoy S, and Caccone A (2019). The population genomics of multiple tsetse fly (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) admixture zones in Uganda. Molecular Ecology, 28: 66-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14957 

12. Saarman NP, Okeyo W*, Bateta R*, Dion K, Mireji P, Okoth S, Ouma JO, Ouma C, Ochieng J, Murilla G, Aksoy S, Caccone A (2018). Genetic differentiation of Glossina pallidipes tsetse flies in southern Kenya. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 99(4): 945-953. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0154

11. Saarman NP, Burak M*, Opiro R*, Echodu R, Opiyo EA, Dion K, Haylard A*, Aksoy S, and Caccone A (2018). A spatial genetics approach to inform vector control of tsetse flies (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) in Northern Uganda. Ecology and Evolution, ece3.4050. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4050 

10. Saarman NP, Okeyo W*, Mengual M*, Dion K, Bateta R, Mireji P, Okoth S, Ouma JO, Ouma C, Ochieng J, Murilla G, Aksoy S, Caccone A (2017). Temporal genetic differentiation in Glossina pallidipes tsetse fly populations in Kenya. Parasites and Vectors, 10:47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2415-y

9. Saarman NP, Kober KM, Simison WB, Pogson GH (2017). Sequence-based analysis of thermal adaptation and protein energy landscapes in an invasive blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Genome Biology and Evolution, 9(10): 2739-2751. https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evx190

8. Saarman NP, Kamidi C*, Dion K, Mireji P, Collins O, Murilla G, Aksoy S, Schnaufer A, Caccone A. Multiple evolutionary origins of Trypanosoma evansi in Kenya (2017). PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(9): e0005895. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005895

7. Saarman NP, Opiro R*, Echodu R, Opiyo E, Dion K, Haylard, Aksoy S, and Caccone A (2017). Genetic diversity and population structure of the tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Northern Uganda: Implications for vector control. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(4): e0005485. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005485

6. Saarman NP, Hamilton H, Short G, Sellas AB, Moore B*, Hoang T, Grace CL, Crow K, Gommon M, and Simison WB (2016). Molecular Phylogeny and Patterns of Diversification in Syngnathid Fishes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 107: 388-403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.10.003

5. Saarman NP, Gloria-Soria A, Evans BR, Pless E*, Anderson EC, and Powell JR. Effective population sizes of a major vector of human diseases, Aedes aegypti (2017). Evolutionary Applications, 10 (10): 1031-1039. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12508

4. Opiro R*, Saarman NP, Echodu R, Opiyo EA, Dion K, Haylard A*, Aksoy S, and Caccone A (2016). Evidence of temporal stability in allelic and mitochondrial haplotype diversity in populations of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) in northern Uganda. Parasites and Vectors, 9: 258-263. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-016-1522-5

3. Saarman NP, Pogson GH (2015). Introgression between invasive and native blue mussels (genus Mytilus) in the central California hybrid zone. Molecular Ecology, 24: 4723–4738. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13340

2. Saarman NP, Louie KD, Hamilton H (2010). Genetic differentiation across eastern Pacific oceanographic barriers in the threatened seahorse, Hippocampus ingens. Conservation Genetics, 11: 1989-2000. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0092-x

1. Huffard CL, Saarman NP, Hamilton H, Simison WB (2010). The evolution of conspicuous facultative mimicry in octopuses: an example of secondary adaptation? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 101: 68–77. https://doi.org/10.1234/12345678 







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STUDENT-LED REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES – IN PREPARATION

• Calhoun E*, Faiman R, White G, Faraji A, Gloria-Soria A, and Saarman NP. Genomic architecture of introgression and diapause-linked reproductive isolation across the Culex pipiens–quinquefasciatus hybrid zone in North America. Analyses complete; manuscript in preparation: Molecular Ecology.
The Saarman Lab studies hybridization and introgression within the Culex pipiens species complex, an important group of West Nile virus vectors in North America whose hybrid zone appears to be shifting northward. We use whole-genome data to identify where introgression occurs across the genome, which regions resist gene flow, and how these patterns relate to diapause, a key life-history adaptation separating Cx. pipiens and Cx. quinquefasciatus. This work helps us understand how differentiation is maintained within a changing hybrid zone while providing an important genomic foundation for our ongoing studies of larvicide resistance in Salt Lake City Culex populations.

• Allen T*, Graybeal K*, Calhoun E*, Seeley T*, Moessing S*, Jenkins E*, Pugh B*, Moreno A*, White G, Faraji A, Oakeson K, Bernhardt S, and Saarman NP. Genomic basis of Lysinibacillus sphaericus resistance in Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes from Salt Lake City, Utah. Analyses in progress; manuscript in preparation: Infection, Genetics and Evolution.
The Saarman Lab investigates the genetic basis of resistance to Lysinibacillus sphaericus (Lsph), an environmentally targeted bacterial larvicide used to control Culex mosquitoes and to which resistance has persisted in Salt Lake City populations since 2016. We established resistant and susceptible colonies from wild populations and combine whole-genome sequencing and GWAS with independent field validation to identify genetic variants that reliably predict resistance. Working closely with local mosquito abatement districts, our goal is to translate these discoveries into low-cost molecular tools for detecting, tracking, and managing larvicide resistance..