Research

Our research team is interested in better understanding how we, as humans, interact with and impact the natural world. We ask these questions through the lens of urban ecology; how is urbanization impacting ecological systems. We aim to create new tools and models to create more sustainable interactions with nature.

Our research sits at the intersection of neuroscience, ecology, and molecular biology. We use pollinating insects — primarily bumble bees and honey bees — as our model systems to understand how stressors in and caused by environment can reshape gene regulation, the brain, behavior, and ultimately ecosystem function.

Pollinator & Urban Ecology

Autonomous Pollinator Sampling (AutoPollS)

Smith et al. (2026), Methods in Ecology and Evolution — AutoPollS: A tool for automated monitoring of pollinators using deep learning.

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Behavioral Neuroscience