Dr. Emily Sadler

Researcher and Instructor

When not serving as an instructor in the department of Biology at Utah State University (USU), Dr. Emily Sadler conducts phylogenomic research on aculeate Hymenoptera. She currently does research in the insect collection, teaches at the university, and mentors students in the molecular laboratory. Dr. Sadler earned a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University in 2006 from the department of Biology.

After majoring in Zoology, and Biological science (with a concentration in Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Biology) she worked in a toxicology lab in Colorado for four years. Over the years, her passion for molecular biology and entomology only grew so she enrolled in the graduate program at USU. With the help of her advisor, Dr. Joseph Wilson, and after years of research, Dr. Sadler proudly accepted her Ph.D. in biology in 2017. Her dissertation was on the phylogenomics and historical biogeography of nocturnal Hymenoptera (wasps).

Outside of the collection, she has been an advocate for increasing the representation of minority groups in the sciences and has been heavily involved in mentoring students, including helping develop the Native American Student Mentorship Program (NASMP) at USU. She was awarded a Utah State University Diversity Award in 2017 for her work with the program. Dr. Sadler also enjoys nature photography, is a talented artist, and could be considered an avid procrastibaker.

Research Projects

Emily runs the molecular lab. She works on the systematics and phylogenomics of aculeates, more specifically Pompilidae and Chyphotidae.

Publications

2018

Sadler, E.A., Pitts, J.P., and J.S. Wilson. 2018. Stinging wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata), which species have the longest sting? PeerJ 6:e4743 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4743 (Featured by Nature in Research Highlight)

2017

Sadler, E.A., J.P. Pitts, and J.S. Wilson. 2017. Nocturnal Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of Joshua Tree National Park, Riverside County, California with the description of three new species. Zootaxa.

Sadler, E.A., J.P. Pitts, and J.S. Wilson. 2017. Faunal Study of the Nocturnal Aculeate Wasps (Hymenoptera) of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts of Joshua Tree National Park. Annals of the Entomological Society of America.

Pitts, J.P. and E.A. Sadler. 2017. Association and description of the male of Aplochares imitator (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae). Zootaxa.

Pitts, J.P., C. Waichert, and E.A. Sadler. 2017. Review of the Neotropical spider wasp genus Anoplius (Dicranoplius) Haupt (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), new comb. Zootaxa.

2015

Pitts, J.P. and E. A. Sadler. 2015. Description of a new species and species-group Sphaeropthalma Blake (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) with an updated classification of the genus. Zootaxa. 3947: 282-288.

Presentations

Poster Presentations

2021

Tucker Huppe, James P. Pitts, Akira Shimizu, Emily A. Sadler. “The Art of Home Invasion: Morphology and Behavior in Ctenocerinae (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae),” poster presented at the Utah State University Department of Biology Spring 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium. 2021

2020

Erica Espinoza, Emily A. Sadler, Brenna Decker, and James P. Pitts. “Cleptoparasitic Spider Wasps (Pompilidae): An Interesting Case of Convergent Evolution,” poster presented at the Utah State University Department of Biology Fall 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium. 2020

James Richardson, Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Phylogenetics of the Cleptoparasitic Genus Evagetes (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae),” poster presented at the Utah State University Department of Biology Spring 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium. 2020

2015

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “The good, the brown, and the ugly: comparative historical biogeography of nocturnal wasps (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae, Mutillidae, Tiphiidae),” poster presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2015

2014

Rebecca Condie, Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Systematics & Phylogenetics of Pseudomethocini (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae),” poster presented at the Utah State University Department of Biology Spring 2014 Undergraduate Research Symposium. 2014

Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “A Tale of Two Subfamilies: Chyphotinae and Typhoctinae (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae),” poster presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, Tucson, Arizona. Awarded 1st place. 2014

2013

Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Shedding Light on Nocturnal Insect Evolution in the Pleistocene,” poster presented at the Evolution Conference, Snowbird, Utah. 2013

Lauren M. Peless, Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Was Evans Evidently Correct about Evagetes (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)?” poster presented at the Utah State University Department of Biology Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium. 2013

2011

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “The Black-headed Conundrum: Species boundaries in Chyphotes (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae),” poster presented at the 96th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America, Portland, Oregon. Awarded 2nd place. 2011

2007

E. Apple Snider, Kenneth R. Wilson, Crystal L. Cooke, and Emily A. Sadler. “Insect communities in burned and unburned piñon-juniper woodlands of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado,” poster presented at the Association for Fire Ecology Conference. 2007

Oral Presentations

2016

Emily A. Sadler, James P. Pitts, and Joseph S. Wilson. “A wasp’s tale: understanding the present by revealing the past (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae, Mutillidae, and Tiphiidae)” Late Breaking Symposium “Making Species Inventories Work For You: Diverse Uses Across Varied Fields” at the 25th International Congress of Entomology meeting, Orlando, Florida. Symposium co-organizer. 2016

Emily Sadler, Katie Weglarz, Dave Denlinger, and Corey Andrikopoulus. “Broadening Navajo Perspectives: Lessons Learned by the Ch'osh Tribe.” Diversity Symposium at the 100th Annual meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of American, Honolulu, Hawai’i. Symposium co-organizer. 2016

2015

Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Comparative Historical Biogeography of the Southwest Using Three Families of Nocturnal Wasps” Symposium at the 99th Annual meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of American, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 2015

James P. Pitts, Emily A. Sadler and Joseph S.Wilson. “Historical Biogeography of the Southwestern USA: A Lack of Consensus” Symposium at the 99th Annual meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of American, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 2015

2014

Emily A. Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Historical Biogeography of the Enigmatic Chyphotid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae),” The 62nd Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Portland, Oregon. Awarded 1st place. 2014

2013

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “The Good, the Brown, and the Ugly: Biogeography of Little Brown Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae),” The 61st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Austin, Texas. 2013

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “A Million Little Brown Wasps (Chyphotidae, Mutillidae, and Tiphiidae: Hymenoptera): A Survey of Joshua Tree National Park,” Symposium at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Austin, Texas. 2013

2012

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “The Black-headed Conundrum: Species boundaries in Chyphotes (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae),” The 60th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Knoxville, Tennessee. 2012

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “Systematics of the "Well‐Known" Family Chyphotidae (Hymenoptera),” The 60th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, International Society of Hymenopterists Symposium, Knoxville, Tennessee. 2012

2011

Emily Sadler and James P. Pitts. “The Black-headed Conundrum: Species boundaries in Chyphotes (Hymenoptera: Chyphotidae),” Intermountain Graduate Symposium, Logan, Utah. 2011