Master’s Student Position in Bumble Bee Conservation
We are seeking a Master’s student to join our research team at the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus for an exciting project on the conservation and ecological niche modeling of Minnesota bumble bee species. The student will primarily work at the University of Minnesota Insect Collection advised by Dr. Cristian Fernando Beza-Beza and co advised by Dr. Daniel Cariveau at the Native Bee Lab.

The project offers an opportunity to make significant contributions to bumble bee conservation by studying species distribution shifts, and developing modern identification tools using morphological and molecular techniques. The student will gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge conservation and taxonomy techniques, contribute to Minnesota’s biodiversity conservation efforts, and work with an interdisciplinary team of scientists and conservationists.

Project Overview:
Bumble bees are key pollinators in both agricultural and natural ecosystems, but many species in Minnesota, including the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), are in decline due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. Our project seeks to address these challenges by investigating bumble bee species distribution changes over time and developing conservation strategies to protect these vital pollinators.

 As part of the project, the student will:
● Molecular Barcoding: Generate molecular barcodes for Minnesota bumble bee species to improve species identification.
● Geographical Distribution: Assist in digitizing and georeferencing historical records of bumble bee specimens to assess changes in species distributions over time, and conduct Ecological Niche Modeling (ENMs) to project future distributions under climate change scenarios.