Nick Ivers – Postdoctoral Scholar
Nick is an ecologist with interests in multi-trophic species interactions, mostly between flowers, bees, and parasites. Before studying bees, he received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington and studied the genetic underpinnings of a developmental switch mechanism controlling cannibalism in nematode worms. He received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin and studied parasitism in bees using both landscape epidemiology and community ecology. Currently, Nick is studying the physiological and metabolic consequences of parasitism in squash bees.
Alejandro Medina Valencia – Graduate Student in Ecology
Alejandro received his B.S. in Biology from Iowa State University in 2022. His previous undergrad research focused on the operative temperature of different species of bumblebees and how they were impacted by their coloration and caste. In 2022 Alejandro joined the Ecology PhD program at Penn State University under Dr. Margarita Lopez-Uribe and Dr. Ruud Schilder. Current research goals are to examine thermal tolerance of bees in the context of their phenology.
Jules Cruz – Graduate Student in Ecology
Jules received their B.S. in Biology from Lynn University in 2022. Their previous undergraduate research investigated the effects of temperature on metabolic rate during development in alfalfa leafcutting bees. At Penn State University, Jules is co-advised by Drs. Margarita López-Uribe and Ruud Schilder at the Ecology program. Jules is interested in how abiotic and biotic stressors interact with pollinator health.
Be Eldash – Graduate Student in Biology
I spend most of my days trying to understand the strategies that animals use to meet their needs and how environment and biological characteristics shape their responses. I am particularly interested in questions about body size, energetics, and locomotion – which drew me to the Schilder Lab. Beyond my academic pursuits, you’ll often find me walking a dog at the animal shelter, jogging, and drinking craft beers, sometimes all at once.
Rudolf (Ruud) Schilder – Principal investigator
Ruud received his MSc degree in Biology from Wageningen University (Netherlands), and his PhD degree in Biology from Penn State University. After postdoctoral studies at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln, NE) and Penn State College of Medicine (Hershey, PA) he started as an Assistant Professor of Entomology & Biology at Penn State University in 2014, and currently is Associate Professor of Entomology & Biology.