About Dr. Cooper

Anastasia grew up on a ranch in Northeastern Kansas. She always loved animals and nature, but even at an early age, she saw the impact of agriculture on nature and wished there was a better way for people to get food. When she was in middle school, her family moved to town, and she immediately missed her interactions with nature, so she started volunteering at the Sunset Zoological Park. There she discovered her love for communicating science and inspiring others to wonder about the world around them. 

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During Anastasia’s senior year of high school, she received early admission to study veterinarian medicine at Mississippi State University (MSU), so she moved there to attend undergrad and eventually vet school. She missed her involvement at the zoo, so she started doing biological research, first at the vet school and then in the biology department. Her undergraduate research experiences at MSU allowed her to participate in studies of the transmission of catfish parasites in aquaculture, investigations of ecological and genetic factors responsible for the susceptibility of armadillos to leprosy, and surveys of the cactus moth invasion in Florida. She enjoyed studying diseases, invasive species, and plant defenses, so she went to graduate school instead of vet school.

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After undergrad, Anastasia went to Arkansas State University (ASU) to study plant-to-plant defense signaling in response to coevolved and newly-associated insect herbivores to manage cactus-boring moths. During her time at ASU, she had the opportunity to teach weekly hands-on science labs at a rural elementary school through the NSF GK12 Fellowship program. She loved incorporating her research and her colleagues' research into every lesson and inspiring students to pursue their dreams, even those that require higher education.

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While studying plant volatiles at ASU, Anastasia also discovered her passion for developing greener pesticides. She had gained a strong background in plant physiology and biotechnology while at ASU, but she knew she needed to learn more about insects if she was going to pursue a career in pesticide research. So next, she went to the Entomology Department at Kansas State University (KSU) to study insect toxicology with University Distinguished Professor Kun Yan Zhu.

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For her dissertation at KSU, Anastasia investigated mechanisms of RNA interference (RNAi) in the European corn borer to facilitate the development of species-specific RNAi-based pesticides. She loved working with the diverse research team in the Zhu lab. She sized every opportunity to continue developing her skills as a researcher, mentor, instructor, leader, and science communicator. During this period, she had opportunities to serve as Vice President and President of the KSU Popenoe Entomology Club, serve as a Kansas Delegate at the Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop in Washington DC, travel to China to meet with collaborators at Shanxi University, and present her research internationally.

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Through her doctoral work, Anastasia developed the skills of a toxicologist and the expertise of a molecular entomologist. However, her focus remained on insect physiology and plant protection. To gain further expertise on vector-borne diseases, control of blood-feeing insects, and electrophysiology she accepted a position after graduation as a postdoctoral researcher at KSU studying the effects of arboviruses on blood-feeding behaviors of mosquitoes and biting midges. She is excited to be learning about insect-host-pathogen interactions and working on a project that is focused on disrupting the ability of insect vectors to transmit diseases to livestock. Her long-term goal is to secure a permanent position that will allow her to train the next generation of scientists, generate new knowledge about host-vector-pathogen interactions, and develop greener management strategies.

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Dr. Anastasia Cooper currently lives in Manhattan, Kansas with her husband, two cats, a dog, a python, a gecko, a tarantula, and a variety of fish, arthropods, and house plants. Her hobbies include critters, outreach, hiking, kayaking, gardening, baking, reading, and embroidery.