CV: Josiah P. Kilburn

Morehead, Kentucky | Email: josiahkilburn@gmail.com | LinkedIn: @armofinsects | Website: www.armyofinsects.com | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4722-9182

 

Professional summary

Undergraduate myrmecologist and ant course graduate with a particular interest in taxonomy, museum curation, photography, and natural history. Particularly skilled in public outreach and teaching, with 3 years of experience running a small genomics lab. Experienced in museum collections, field surveys, DNA barcoding, and scientific communication. Research focuses on taxonomy, trait evolution, and large-scale patterns of ant diversity.

 

Research Interests

• Ant systematics & taxonomy

• Museum collections & specimen curation

• Biodiversity surveys & field methodology

• Macro Photography

• Ant Biology and Life History

• Ant-Plant Interactions

• Ant-Insect Interactions

• Biogeography and macroecology

• Phylogenetics and species delimitation

• Lacewing Diversity

• Insect Diversity

• Black Lighting

 

Education

B.Sc. Biology (2026)
Morehead State University

 

Publications, Books & other Research

Books

Kilburn, J. (2022). The Stinging Ants of Colorado: A Synopsis of Extant Species Possessing a Stinger. 1st ed. Parker, CO: Self-Published. Available online

Kilburn, J. (expected 2026). Ants of Kentucky. (in preparation)

 

Posters and Oral Presentations

Kilburn, J. P., & O'Keefe, S. T. (2022). D3183: Investigating the Underappreciated Biodiversity of Solenopsis Thief Ants. Poster, ESA/ESC Entomology Meeting, Vancouver, BC. Available online

Kilburn, J. P., Erdos, C. M., Murray, L., & Polokam, J. (2022). Engaging Teens in Entomology. Presentation, Entomology Conference, Denver, CO.

Kilburn, J., & O'Keefe, S. (2023). The Kentucky Ant Project: An Attempt to Catalogue the Ant Species of Kentucky. Available online

Kilburn, J. P. (2023). Exploring the Exceptional Biology of Solenopsis Thief Ants. Presentation, Kentucky Honors Roundtable, Morehead, KY. Available online

Kilburn, J. P. (2023). Ant Course Presentation. Ant Course, Papua New Guinea. Available online

Kilburn, J. P., & Meyer, B. S. (2023). Put Your Research in Augmented Reality! Workshop, Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. Available online

Kilburn, J. P. (2024). Entomoportraiture: A Carefully Curated Collection of Insects and Their Landscapes. Photography presentation, Mid East Honors Conference, Hammond, LA. Available online

Da Fieno, D., Kilburn, J., Gibson, J., McFarland, J., & Peyton, D. (2024). Development of a DNA Barcoding Protocol to Identify Previously Unknown Populations of Forelius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Kentucky. Available online

Kilburn, J. P. (2025). Entomoportraiture II: A Continuing Showcase of Insect Macro Photography. Photo presentation, Southern Regional Honors Conference, Chattanooga, TN. Available online

Kilburn, J. P., Da Fieno, D., Gibson, J., Jude, D., Hunt, K., Singh Dhami, L.; Mentors: Dr. Sean O'Keefe, Dr. David Peyton. (2025). Updates From the Kentucky Ant Project: New Species, New Protocols, and New Methods to Give Students a 'Crash Course' in Ant Biology. Presentation of Exceptional Merit, Celebration of Student Scholarship, Morehead State University. Available online

Hunt, J., Kilburn, J. P.; Mentors: Dr. David Peyton, Dr. Sean O'Keefe. (2025). Kentucky Ant Project: Formica. Presentation of Exceptional Merit, Celebration of Student Scholarship, Morehead State University. Available online

Da Fieno, D.*, Kilburn, J. P.; Mentors: Dr. David Peyton, Dr. Sean O'Keefe. (2025). Kentucky Ant Project: The Genus Lasius. Presentation of Exceptional Merit, Celebration of Student Scholarship, Morehead State University. Available online

Jude, D.*, Kilburn, J. P.; Mentors: Dr. David Peyton, Dr. Sean O'Keefe. (2025). Kentucky Ant Project: Pheidole. Presentation of Merit, Celebration of Student Scholarship, Morehead State University. Available online

Singh Dhami, L.*, Kilburn, J. P.; Mentors: Dr. David Peyton, Dr. Sean O'Keefe. (2025). Kentucky Ant Project: Temnothorax. Presentation, Celebration of Student Scholarship, Morehead State University. Available online

Kilburn, J. P.; Mentors: Dr. Robin Moore, Dr. Mike Bowen. (2025). Myrmecoportraiture: an Overview of the Exhibit. Presentation, Kentucky Honors Roundtable Conference, Recife, Brazil. Available online

Kilburn, J. P.; Mentors: Dr. Sean O'Keefe, Dr. David Peyton. (2025). Designing the Kentucky Ant Project. Poster + Presentation, Mirmeco2025 Conference, Recife, Brazil. Available online

 

Teaching Experience

Legend High School Entomology Club
President (Fall 2019 – 2022)

• Led and organized events and meetings on entomology topics, including insect identification and taxonomy.

Morehead State University – Kentucky Ant Project
Research Mentor and Project Leader (2022 – Present)

• Taught undergraduate students how to study, identify, and research ants as part of the Kentucky Ant Project.
   

• Oversaw the preparation of several student research presentations; four out of five presentations received departmental awards our first year from the College of Science.
   

• Designed and led research workshops on ant collection, taxonomy, and field methods.

Morehead State University
Guest Lecturer, BIOL 373 (General Entomology)

• Delivered Lecture 7 on Social Insects, focusing on myrmecology, and conducted hands-on research experiences.

Morehead State University Entomology Club
President (2022 – Present)

• Organized and led workshops and lectures on entomology topics, including Ant Diversity, Black Lighting, and Insect Taxonomy.

Kazakhstan (Summer 2023)
English Instructor and Entomology Educator

• Taught English lessons to college students and educated them about native ant species in Kazakhstan.

• Conducted photography and insect collection while abroad.

• Participated in a cultural exchange trip to Kazakhstan, providing educational outreach and learning about Kazakh ants and culture.

• Can read сирилик alphabet and read most руский and қазақ words.

Workshop Leader
“Put Your Research in Augmented Reality!”

• Led a workshop with Benjamin S. Meyer at the Entomological Society of America meeting (November 2023) to explore presenting research through augmented reality.

Student Discussion Group Leader
(2023 – 2025)

• Lead a weekly life group for college students, fostering community, growth, and discussion.

Exhibitor, Myrmecoportraiture Macro Photography Exhibit

• Morehead State University (October 2025): Presented a solo exhibition highlighting ant biodiversity through macro photography and narrative science communication.
   

• Huntington Children’s Museum (2025): Designed an educational exhibit to engage children with insect diversity and ecological concepts. (Was not displayed because the museum was not able to fix their AC in the display room.)
   

• Kentucky Science Center (Jan 2026): Displayed ant portraiture and interactive content to foster public interest in entomology and biodiversity.

 

Work Experience

Owner, Photographer, Writer, Salesman, Marketing, and Website Designer
ArmyOfInsects Photography, Castle Rock, CO
Sept 2018 - Present

• Travel photography of ants across multiple states, including California, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and Utah.

• Photo editing and curation of award-winning images.

• Website design and marketing for ArmyOfInsects.com.

• Published multiple research articles and blogs.

GAN Farmer (Selling Ant Colonies as Pets)
AntsCanada
Sept 2018 - Present

• Collecting and selling ant colonies directly to customers.

• Educating customers about ant care and colony management.

• Gaining sales and customer relations experience.

Ant Identification Researcher
Colorado State University (CSU)
June 11 – June 17, 2023

• Worked with Dr. Marek Boroweic to identify and catalog all ant species from Colorado in the CSU collection.

• Focused specifically on the identification and classification of male Pogonomyrmex ants. (There was a lack of IDs, and I had created a male-based key for Colorado in High School)

• Contributed to refining the existing database of Colorado ant specimens.

Research Lab Director – Kentucky Ant Project
Morehead State University (MSU)
August 8, 2025 – current

• Project supervisor leading over a dozen students in the study of Kentucky ants

• Integration of Genetics, outreach, and ant taxonomy

• Extensive teaching experience

Teaching Assistant
Morehead State University (MSU)
August 8 2025 – current

• Teaching assistant for the Principles of Biology (BIOL-171L) Class

• Lab setup and teaching experience

Exhibitor – Myrmecoportraiture (Mirmecorretratos)
Morehead State University, Golding-Yang Gallery

Kentucky Science Center, Louisville, KY (2026)
August 8, 2025 – current

• Designed and created an entire exhibition

• Created interactive components for children

• Created digital ads and physical components

• Printed and prepared several high-quality prints for the display of the exhibition.

 

 

Research Experience

Lead Researcher, Kentucky Ant Project (2022-Present)
Morehead State University

• Managed and directed research on the biodiversity of ant species in Kentucky, training undergraduate students and designing research methods.

• Available online

Lead Researcher, Colorado Ant Project (2019-2022)

• Conducted an extensive survey of the ant species in Castlewood Canyon, documenting species diversity and population distributions.

• Focused on cataloging the region’s native ants and identifying ecological patterns in their habitats.

• Utilized macro photography and specimen collection to analyze and document findings.

• Integrated research into broader ant biodiversity studies and contributed to the ongoing efforts to better understand Colorado's myrmecofauna.

Internship at Discover Life in America (Summer 2022)

• Updated and cataloged the Smoky Mountain Ant Collection.

• Point-mounted and identified newly collected ant specimens.

Summer Research Project at Colorado State University (2023)

• Worked with Dr. Marek Boroweic to identify and catalog all ant species from Colorado in the CSU collection.

• Focused specifically on the identification and classification of male Pogonomyrmex ants.

• Contributed to refining the existing database of Colorado ant specimens.

Database Work for City Ant Project & World Invasive Ant Project (2023)

• Collaborated with the University of Michigan & USDA to support the creation of an invasive ant species database.

• Contact: Doug Booher for additional details.

Ant Course, Papua New Guinea (2023)

• Graduated from an advanced ant taxonomy course as the only undergraduate participant.

• Received a certificate of completion, showcasing mastery of ant identification and classification.

• Learned how to properly label ants and keep track of them using specimen codes.

BugShot Montana Photography Course (2022)

• Gained advanced knowledge and techniques in insect photography for fieldwork and research applications.

Mirmeco2025 (2025)

• Presented my research and exhibit, created subtitles in Portuguese and Spanish.

• Translated my exhibit into Portuguese for the rest of the conference on day 1

• Tabled my exhibit

• Tested if the ant scents from the exhibit caused any behavioral reactions in Brazilian insects

 

 

Academic Achievements & Awards

• MSU Experimental Education Award (2025) – grant to present Designing the Kentucky ant Project at Mirmeco 2025

• MSU Honors Extraordinary Experiences Award (2025) – grant to present Designing the Kentucky ant Project at Mirmeco 2025

• MSU CoSS Certificate of Exceptional Merit (2025) – Updates From the Kentucky Ant Project

• MSU CoSS Certificate of Exceptional Merit (2025) – Lasius (mentor)

• MSU CoSS Certificate of Exceptional Merit (2025) – Formica (mentor)

• MSU CoSS Certificate of Merit (2025) – Pheidole (mentor)

• MSU CoSS Certificate of Merit (2025) – Temnothorax (mentor)

• MSU Honors Study Abroad Scholarship (2024) – Grant to study in Kazakhstan

• MSU CoSS Certificate of Merit (2024) – Celebration of Student Scholarship

• MSU Honors Extraordinary Experiences Award (2023) – Grant to attend Ant Course Papua New Guinea 2023

• Ant Course (2023) – Ant Course Student Diploma

• Thoroughbred Award (Biology) (2023) – Kentucky Academy of Science Conference

• George P. Lucky Honors Scholarship (2022-2026) – Full ride scholarship to Morehead State University.

• Eagle Scout (2021) – Boy Scouts of America

• Art Student of the Year (2019–2020, 2021–2022) – Legend High School

• 3rd place Outstanding Art Award (2023) – Inscape Literary & Visual Arts Journal

• Expert Shortlisting (2022) – BugShot Bug Photography Awards 

• Bugshot Photography Student Scholarship (2019) – to attend Bugshot Montana (2022)

 

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Entomological Society of America

• Member, Kentucky Academy of Science

• Member, International Union for the Study of Social Insects

 

Skills

• Insect Taxonomy – Extensive experience identifying and cataloging species, particularly ants and lacewings.

• Spanish – fluent (daily conversational use) 

• DNA Barcoding – Skilled in DNA barcoding for species identification. This includes pcr, extraction, troubleshooting, and all steps of the process.

• Macro Photography – Advanced skills in entomological photography. Also proficient in landscape, event, portraits, and other subjects.

• Google Sheets & Spreadsheets – Proficient in managing large datasets, tracking fieldwork data, and creating dynamic research project spreadsheets for data analysis and organization.

• Fieldwork – Experienced in black lighting and other field collection techniques.

• Research Leadership – Leading projects and managing undergraduate researchers in entomological studies.

• Adobe Creative Cloud – 7+ years of experience with Illustrator, Photoshop, and Adobe Lightroom. A big fan of the recent Adobe Express.

• Print production – Production of over 500 prints using an Epson P7570 printer, as well as experience on a Canon printer and various print-to-order services

• Web/graphic design – designer of my website and various projects including logos, branding etc…

• T-Shirt Design – Created various high-quality T-shirt designs for various projects and clubs including but not limited to Ant Course, MyrmecoPortraiture, 

• Exhibition – I exhibited a full-sized museum exhibit entitled Myrmecoportraiture, but have also created around 5 other smaller exhibits since high school.

• Public Speaking & Teaching – Presenting and leading workshops, lectures, and courses on entomology topics.

 

References

Available upon request.

 

 

Selected Graphical Works and Figures