Manette Tanelus

Pursuing a Ph.D. in Entomology within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech

Black woman smiling in the sun standing in front of greenery

“I am fascinated by the relationship between pathogens and humans as well as efforts to mitigate illness through vaccines and treatments.”

As a child growing up in Haïti, Manette became very aware of the disparities in health and tropical medicine. Her master's research project was focused on understanding the critical safety and efficacy characteristics of a vaccine our lab created for Zika virus. Manette is interested in arbovirus transmission, surveillance, pathogenesis, and vaccine research. The long-term goal would be to use that knowledge to impact morbidity and mortality worldwide but specifically in the West Indies and impoverished communities.

Manette has received her BS in Biology from USC Upstate and an MSc in Entomology at Virginia Tech. She is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Entomology within CALS at Virginia Tech.