Joseph McMillan
Email: josmcmil@ttu.edu
Phone: +1 (806) 742-2715
Degrees and Positions
- B.S., Ecology, University of Georgia (2009)
- PhD., Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Emory University (2018)
- Postdoc, Public Health Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (2021)
TTU Instruction:
- BIOL 3307/5407: Population Biology

Research Interests
The lab's research broadly investigates the eco-epidemiology and control of zoonotic, vector-borne pathogens. Within this context, I focus primarily on mosquitoes and arboviruses. My aim is to use ecological and empirical approaches to elucidate the mechanisms of arbovirus amplification and perpetuation in human-dominated environments and to suppress zoonotic arbovirus spillover into human populations. To this end, my primary research approaches include mosquito surveillance, semi-natural and in-lab experiments, diagnostic testing, and quantitative methods.
Current projects include:
- Quantitative analysis of longitudinal mosquito and arbovirus surveillance data to identify metrics of ecological and epidemiological risk
- Investigate influence of biopesticides on mosquito larval community assembly and interspecific interactions
Projects in development include:
- Evaluate and improve integrated pest management solutions for Culex tarsalis
- Quantify West Nile virus transmission networks among Culex tarsalis and Culex pipiens complex
- Island biogeography theory as a mechanism of Aedes aegypti expansion in the southwest US
- Determine relationship mosquito microbiome composition and pesticide effectiveness
Select Publications
- McMillan J, Harden C, Burtis J, Breban M, Shepard J, Petroff T, Misencik M, Bransfield A, Poggi J, Harrington L, Andreadis T, Armstrong P. (2021). The community-wide effectiveness of municipal larval control programs for West Nile virus risk reduction in Connecticut, United States, Pest Management Science. 77(11): 5186-5201. ed Publications
- McMillan J, Armstrong P, Andreadis T (2020). Patterns of mosquito and arbovirus community composition and ecological indexes of arboviral risk in the northeast United States. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 14(2): e0008066.
- McMillan J, Marcet P, Hoover C, Mead D, Kitron U, Vazquez-Prokopec G. (2019) Feeding
success and host choice of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in experimental trials.
Vector-Borne & Zoonotic Diseases. 15(5):303-310.
- McMillan J, Blakeny R, Mead G, Koval W, Coker S, Waller L, Kitron U, Vazquez-Prokopec
G. (2019). Linking the vectorial capacity of multiple vectors to observed patterns
of West Nile virus transmission. Journal of Applied Ecology 56 (4).
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Complete list of Published Work:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/joseph.mcmillan.1/bibliography/public/
Department of Biological Sciences
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Address
Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Box 43131 Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.2715 -
Email
biology@ttu.edu