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Denise Gemmellaro, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Office Location
George Hennings Hall, C-130
Email
mgemmell@kean.edu
Phone
(908) 737-3657

Dr. M. Denise Gemmellaro received her PhD in Entomology from Rutgers University, with a dissertation in Medico-Legal Forensic Entomology, which is the application of the study of insects to forensic investigations. She has been involved in the field of forensic entomology for several years, during which she has trained state police, FBI, pathologists, lawyers and other professionals in the field of forensics, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Gemmellaro’s research is focused on using insects (maggots) in forensic investigations to establish time of colonization, movement of the bodies and potential presence of illegal substances in the body; moreover, she is conducting research in other areas of forensic, such as BPA (Blood Pattern Analysis), forensic molecular biology and forensic entomotoxicology. Dr. Gemmellaro is a Diplomate and current vice-chair of the American Board of Forensic Entomology, and of several forensic societies, among which the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), the Entomological Society of America (ESA), the North America Forensic Entomology Association (NAFEA), the European Association for Forensic Entomology (EAFE).  

Selected Publications

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Anderson S.G., Hamilton G.C., Weidner L.M., 2025. Food preferences of adult male and female Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/00085030.2025.2548060 

  • Defilippo, F., Gemmellaro, M.D., Grisendi, A., Tranquillo, V., Lavazza, A., Dottori, M. and Moreno, A., 2025. Formulation and evaluation of the efficacy of an artificial larval diet for rearing various species of flies under laboratory conditions. Frontiers in Insect Science, 5, p.1630472. https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2025.1630472 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Anderson, G.S., Hamilton, G.C., Domínguez-Trujillo, M. and Weidner, L.M., 2025. Species Richness and Distribution of Calliphoridae Along an Elevation Gradient in Sicily (Italy) and Ecuador. Insects, 16(5), p.498. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050498 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Forzisi E.G., Anderson S.G., Hamilton G.C., Weidner L.M., 2024. A Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Wing Variations in Shape and Size of Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Environmental Entomology. p.nvae018. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvae018 

  • Raise, G. and Gemmellaro, M.D., A review on the effects of heavy metals on the development of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). 2023. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Forensic Science, p.e1503. https://doi.org/10.1002/wfs2.1503 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., 2020. Remote approach to crime scene investigations and forensic science. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 48(6), pp.650-651. 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D. and Weidner, L.M., 2019. The Professional History of Forensic Entomology. In Forensic Entomology (pp. 547-554). CRC Press. 

  • Gemmellaro, M.D., Hamilton, G.C. and Ware, J.L., 2019. Review of molecular identification techniques for forensically important Diptera. Journal of medical entomology, 56(4), pp.887-902.