Team
Our team at Macquarie University brings together diverse skills to tackle all aspects of this project. Dr Théotime Colin will design control prototypes, lead the experimental program, and manage delivery to beekeepers. Dr Cornelia Sattler will lead beekeeper consultations and field days, while Casey Forster will work on field trials and evaluate control methods. Dr Ryan Warren from the University of Tasmania will test treatments in the absence of varroa and in the cooler Tasmanian climate. Professor Andrew Barron will mentor the team, manage collaborations, and apply his expertise in bee biology to guide the project.
Theo is a honeybee health and biology researcher at Macquarie University. He has over 15 years of practical experience with varroa from his time as a beekeeper in France and conducted research on miticides in Arizona. He has worked extensively on the effects that pesticides, including those used for the control of varroas, have on honeybees. His current research projects focus on developing physical and mechanical methods to control varroas in Australian climates without using chemicals. These include mite trapping, heat treatments, brood breaks and mite dislodgement devices.
Andrew is a Professor of Comparative Neuroscience, Director of The Macquarie Minds and Intelligences Initiative at Macquarie University. He studies the evolution of cognitive systems. He was awarded his PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge in 1999 after which he moved to Australia and began to study honey bees. Using advanced techniques to visualise, manipulate, map and record from the insect brain Barron’s team has made important contributions to the understanding of fundamental behavioural systems such as cognition, navigation, social behaviour and learning and memory. He also conducts research to improve honey bee health and welfare. He is studying how bees and bee colonies are impacted by pesticide and disease stressors, and how to best intervene to help bee colonies under stress
Rodrigo is a PhD candidate with a background in Conservation Biology. He has a particular interest on how human-altered factors can impair animal behaviour, health and reproduction. His previous research has focused on prenatal stress effects on rat sexual behaviour and impacts of pesticides in honeybee cognition. As part of the Varroa Management Team, Rodrigo will develop and test research protocols examining the effects of different treatment methods on the behaviour and health of honeybees. Rodrigo wants to contribute to the development of more effective, sustainable approaches for the beekeeping industry. In the future, Rodrigo wants to help other livestock industries focus on non-chemical control.
Conny is a passionate science communicator and videographer with a background in agroecology and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). She completed her PhD and postdoctoral research on arthropod communities in rice agroecosystems, focusing on field experiments for sustainable pest management practices in Vietnam and Cambodia. Currently, she works as a research fellow and videographer at Macquarie University. In her research role, she collaborates with beekeepers to understand industry needs and expectations, as well as the challenges associated with managing varroa mites.
Ryan is a pollination researcher and lecturer at the University of Tasmania, specialising in technology-driven studies of bee health, foraging behaviour, and pollination efficiency. His research examines how crop coverings, climate, and chemicals influence honeybee activity and health in agricultural landscapes. This research is facilitated by large scale field trials and strong industry collaboration. Ryan’s work seeks to help both beekeepers and growers optimise their management strategies in the face of varroa, to ensure sustainable pollination into the future.
Casey is a researcher at Macquarie University interested in bee health and sustainable management. Over the years beekeeping in Australia, she has become interested in better understanding the stressors affecting bee populations and developing strategies to mitigate negative impacts and benefit bee health, management, and welfare. Her previous research has examined the impacts of pesticides, antibiotics, pathogens, and probiotics on bee health, foraging performance, morphology, gut microbiome, and cognition. Casey’s research at present centers around creating and optimising chemical-free varroa mite control practices available for honeybees in Australia.