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Dr. Rachel Mallinger, Principal Investigator Dr. Mallinger is an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida where she conducts research and extension on native wild bees, and teaches courses on pollinator ecology and conservation. She received a B.A. in biology from Kalamazoo College in Michigan, a joint Master's in Entomology and Agroecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a PhD in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include pollination biology of crop and wild plants, community ecology of pollinators, and landscape ecology. Outside of work, she spends time (preferably outdoors) with her family, and enjoys dancing, good food, and good books. Dr. Clement Larue, Post-Doctoral Researcher Clément defended his thesis on chestnut pollination at Biogeco (Université de Bordeaux - INRAE) in 2021 and completed his first post-doctorate in the same lab to continue his research on chestnut. By combining pollination ecology approaches, large-scale experiments, and paternity analyses, he demonstrated that this tree was pollinated by wild insects, that self-pollen interference greatly reduced fruit production, and that orchard composition had a strong impact on pollination quality. His work was rewarded in 2023 with the Dufrenoy silver medal for the best thesis in crop science. For his second post-doc, he joined the Mallinger Lab to study blueberry pollination, specifically pollen flow and the effect of planting design on cross-pollination rates. He is particularly interested in the study of plant-pollinator interactions, the development of innovative (molecular) techniques to study these interactions, and the preservation of the ecosystem service of pollination. In his free time, Clément enjoys triathlon, wildlife photography and exploring the world around him. For more information, visit his website: https://clementlarue1.github.io/ Sam Pryer, PhD student
Sam is a PhD student in the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida. She is originally from Arkansas, but moved to Kansas for college where she received her bachelor's in biology and master's in biology/botany from Pittsburg State University. Her bachelor's work included research with phlebotomine sand flies in Kansas and Missouri during a 3 year collaborative project with a lab at Kansas State University. For her master's, she extensively surveyed the flora of two counties in southeast Kansas. Though a botanist by training, she is particularly interested in the interactions between plants and their pollinators, as well as the evolution of these relationships. When not in the lab, she loves to explore the outdoors with her husband and dog. Joanna Jaramillo Silva, PhD student Joanna joined the lab in Fall 2020 as a Fulbright Student from Colombia at the Department of Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida. Previously, she completed her bachelor's and master's degree in Biological Sciences at the National University in Colombia in the Bee Research Lab, where she worked in bee taxonomy of stingless bees. She had also worked as a young researcher for MinCiencias in Colombia in passion fruit pollination research. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and watching movies. Rosemary (Rosie) Murray, MSc student Rosie joined the Mallinger lab in Fall 2024 to study pollination ecology in fire dependent ecosystems. Her research will focus on the pollination of Conradina etonia, a rare species of shrub in the Lamiaceae family. After graduating from UF with a bachelor’s degree in linguistics, she spent 5 years with the Division of Plant Industry (FDACS) in Gainesville working on invasive species management of the air potato vine and its biological control agent, the air potato beetle. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, backpacking, playing ultimate frisbee, and reading a good book. Avery Roe, Undergraduate Researcher Avery is in her last year as an undergraduate at UF, majoring in Entomology and Nematology and minoring in Organic and Sustainable Crop Production. She has been a member of the Mallinger Lab for two years while completing a University Scholars Program Thesis which explores pollinator diversity and plant-pollinator interactions at the UF Horticultural Student Teaching Garden. She is passionate about sustainable agriculture, crop pollination by unmanaged bees, and conservation outreach. Avery spent the summer in Greece studying the effects of climate change on bees with an NSF-sponsored student research team and spends her free time reading, with friends, and on long walks photographing bees. |
Other Current Lab Members
Davis Judd, Undergraduate technician
Ella O'Brien, Undergraduate technician
Former Lab Members
Stan Chabert, Post-Doc. Now a research scientist with INRAE (Research for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, France).
Opeyemi (Bayo) Adedoja, Post-Doc. Now a faculty member at the University of Central Arkansas.
Sarah Anderson, PhD student. Graduated summer 2023. Now a licensing and patent associate at Baylor University
John Ternest, PhD student. Graduated summer 2024. Now a postdoc with the USDA-ARS in Stoneville, MS.
Lily Fulton, MSc student. Graduated summer 2024.
Joshua Botti-Anderson, MSc student. Graduated summer 2022. Now a PhD student at Australia National University.
James Weaver, MSc student. Graduated fall 2020. Now a research biologist with US Fish and Wildlife.
Walker Bensch, Undergraduate student. Graduated spring 2024. Now a MSc student at the University of Idaho.
Victoria Vo, Undergraduate student. Graduated spring 2024. Now an intern with Archbold Biological Station.
Sara Chism, Undergraduate student. Graduated fall 2023. Now employed with Syngenta.
Jon Elmquist, Technician and Lab Manager. Completed a MSc in Entomology at Penn State. Now employed at UF McGuire Center for Lepidoptera
Shiala Morales Naranjo, Research biologist and Lab Manager. Now a MSc student at UF.