Meet the members of the BeeHIVE research cluster.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Dominique Weis
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Dominique Weis is a leader in the innovative use of trace elements and isotope geochemistry, and is widely respected “for the elegance, precision and impact of her geochemical studies of the Earth from large igneous provinces to the environment” (AGU Fellow 2010 citation). Specifically, her resea
Steering Committee
Dr. Carrillo is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, and is affiliated with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (UBC Farm) and the Biodiversity Research Centre.
Dr. Alice Chang
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Dr. Chang received her BSc (Honours) and MSc from the former Department of Geological Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and completed a PhD (2004) in Earth Sciences at Carleton University where she studied Holocene sediments and diatoms from Vancouver Island.
Julia has BSc and MSc degrees in Agriculture, and is a Bee Master and BCHPA Certified Instructor. She is a passionate speaker, a skilled beekeeper, and an excellent mentor. As a co-founder and former chief beekeeper for Hives for Humanity, Julia oversaw all of their beehives across the Vancouver
Dr. Leonard Foster
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Foster group has used mass spectrometry and proteomics to understand host-pathogen relationships and food quality. The group has applied protein mass spectrometry to understand the systems biology response of various hosts, especially honey bees, to pathogens.
Dr. Lavkulich is Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, and is Director of the Global Resources Systems and Master of Land and Water Systems programs.
Members
Dr. Marghaleray (Marg) Amini
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Dr. Amini received a Master’s degree from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany (2003), and a PhD from the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany (2007), where she studied the chemical and isotopic compositions of marine hydrothermal systems.
Dr. Awram earned his PhD in Microbiology from the University of British Columbia and is a second-generation beekeeper. His beekeeping company, which both pollinates and produces honey, is the largest in British Columbia.
Dr. Allan Bertram
Chemistry
Dr. Bertram received his BSc from the University of Prince Edward Island and PhD from the University of Waterloo, where he studied the freezing behaviour of polar stratospheric clouds.
Dr. Bishop is a Research Scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. Her research examines the effects of quantity and quality of habitats on the conservation of Species at Risk.
Martina has a BSc in Environmental Engineering from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (2011) and a MSc in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems from the University of British Columbia (2017). She is currently working as a lab manager and research technician with Dr.
Dr. Cornélis is an Assistant Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. He received his PhD in soil science in 2010 (UCLouvain, Belgium) and was FNRS Fellow at UBC (2011–2013).
B. Brett Finlay
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immuology, Michael Smith Laboratories
Dr. Finlay’s research interests focus on host-microbe interactions at the molecular level. By combining cell biology with microbiology, he has been at the forefront of the field called Cellular Microbiology.
Dr. Guarna is a Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia. Her collaborative research focuses on honey bee queens, emerging bee pathogens, and on bee health and pollination.
Heather began beekeeping as a student in 1987, completed her Master’s degree in Dr. Mark Winston’s lab at Simon Fraser University in 1994, and continued working in bee research, running Dr.
Dr. Claire Kremen
Department of Zoology, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
Dr. Kremen's lab at UBC investigates how to reconcile biodiversity conservation with agricultural production. Using field, lab, and modeling studies on a variety of taxonomic groups, Dr.
Bruce Lanphear, MD, MPH, is a Clinician Scientist at the BC Children’s Research Institute and a Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University.
William (Bill) Paley
TRIUMF
Bill is an R&D mechanical engineer focused on mechanical systems and equipment design for nuclear applications in the Accelerator division of the TRIUMF research lab in Vancouver. He has a BASc in integrated engineering from UBC (2006) and a MASc in mechanical engineering specializing in expe
Dr. Pernal received his MSc and PhD in Entomology from the University of Manitoba. His doctoral work concentrated on honey bee nutrition and the influence of pollen quality on foraging strategies in honey bees.
As a UBC graduate, Paul had the opportunity to be involved in apiculture research, followed by several years of tropical apiculture in East Africa, where beekeeping development and education offered subsistence farmers supplemental income without placing demands on land ownership.
Dr. Zayed is an Associate Professor of Biology and York University’s Research Chair in Genomics. He completed his PhD in Biology in 2006 at York University, then held an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois (2006–2008).
Trainees
Abigail Chapman
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Abbi's project is focused on identifying the physiological impacts of infection on honey bee queens and investigating the trade-off between reproduction and immunity. She is a PhD student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UBC and is supervised by Dr.
Brooke Hoppstock-Mattson
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Brooke has a BA in geology and environmental science from Hope College, Michigan (2018). She worked for the State of Kentucky as an environmental remediation geologist and previously worked with metal isotopic systems at Oregon State University. In 2020, she joined Dr. Dominique Weis, Dr.
Jennifer is a M.Sc. student in Integrated Studies in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC. She completed a B.A. in Geography, majoring in Environment and Sustainability. Her academic interests are biogeography, GIS, and pollinators!
Dr. Alison McAfee
Michael Smith Laboratories
Dr. McAfee studies honey bee reproductive health, focusing on factors affecting sperm viability. Honey bee queens mate several times early in life, then maintain the sperm for years in a specialized storage organ until they die.
Rhonda Thygesen
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Rhonda is a MSc student at UBC in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Past Members
Diane Hanano
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Diane Hanano was a Research Project Manager at the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research at the University of British Columbia, where she also coordinated the BeeHIVE Research Excellence Cluster. She previously worked for the International Ocean Discovery Program, the Multidiscipli
Dr. Alexandra Sébastien
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Dr. Sébastien has a MSc and PhD in Ecology and Genetics, and works primarily with insects. She is interested in the development of bio- and genetic controls of invasive insects, insect behaviour, and citizen science projects that focus on biodiversity.
Kate Smith
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Kate has a BSc in chemistry from Michigan Technological University (2008) and a MSc in geochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2010). She worked for the State of Wisconsin as an analytical chemist before joining Dr.