Who we are?
Research Group Leader
Dr. Margaret J. Couvillon
Assistant Professor, Pollinator Biology & Ecology
I am a broadly trained bee researcher with a particular interest in the foraging and recruitment behaviors of the honey bee. I started as an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in 2017.
Previously I worked with Professor Anna Dornhaus (1st Postdoc, University of Arizona, Tucson) on bumble bee worker size variation and Professor Francis Ratnieks (Ph.D., University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England) on guarding and nestmate recognition in honey bees and stingless bees and using the honey bee waggle dance to evaluate the English countryside for bee forage (2nd Postdoc, University of Sussex, Brighton, England), research which forms the backdrop for my own lab.
When I am away from the bees, I enjoy reading, cycling, swimming, cooking, and travelling. These days, I also spend many happy hours on our porch swing with our baby, Nate.
I will be looking for enthusiastic and motivated graduate students to begin spring or autumn 2018. Check out the "Opportunities" tab for more information. Interested postdocs and undergrads should contact me directly.
Contact: Email me | Google Scholar Profile | Download CV | The BeeGroup @ VT Facebook Page
Assistant Professor, Pollinator Biology & Ecology
I am a broadly trained bee researcher with a particular interest in the foraging and recruitment behaviors of the honey bee. I started as an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in 2017.
Previously I worked with Professor Anna Dornhaus (1st Postdoc, University of Arizona, Tucson) on bumble bee worker size variation and Professor Francis Ratnieks (Ph.D., University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England) on guarding and nestmate recognition in honey bees and stingless bees and using the honey bee waggle dance to evaluate the English countryside for bee forage (2nd Postdoc, University of Sussex, Brighton, England), research which forms the backdrop for my own lab.
When I am away from the bees, I enjoy reading, cycling, swimming, cooking, and travelling. These days, I also spend many happy hours on our porch swing with our baby, Nate.
I will be looking for enthusiastic and motivated graduate students to begin spring or autumn 2018. Check out the "Opportunities" tab for more information. Interested postdocs and undergrads should contact me directly.
Contact: Email me | Google Scholar Profile | Download CV | The BeeGroup @ VT Facebook Page
Graduate students
Undergraduate students
Bethany McKenna
Bethany is a senior at VT working towards a degree in the Department of Animal & Poultry Sciences with a minor in Entomology. As part of her Capstone project and in collaboration with the BEESi Schurch lab at VT, Bethany is performing a calibration experiment to understand the duration/distance relationship in the honey bee waggle dance for our Virginian bee population.
Bethany is a senior at VT working towards a degree in the Department of Animal & Poultry Sciences with a minor in Entomology. As part of her Capstone project and in collaboration with the BEESi Schurch lab at VT, Bethany is performing a calibration experiment to understand the duration/distance relationship in the honey bee waggle dance for our Virginian bee population.
Keiran Zwirner
Keiran is a junior at VT working towards a degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation with a minor in Forestry. As a student researcher, Keiran is performing a calibration experiment to understand the duration/distance relationship in the honey bee waggle dance for our Virginian bee population. Keiran additionally assists Dr. James Wilson in the VT apiaries.
Keiran is a junior at VT working towards a degree in Fish and Wildlife Conservation with a minor in Forestry. As a student researcher, Keiran is performing a calibration experiment to understand the duration/distance relationship in the honey bee waggle dance for our Virginian bee population. Keiran additionally assists Dr. James Wilson in the VT apiaries.
Junior researcher
Nathaniel Schürch
Nate was born May 2017. He is currently investigating the effects of periodic sleep disturbance on the well-being of his parents.
Nate was born May 2017. He is currently investigating the effects of periodic sleep disturbance on the well-being of his parents.