Photo Credit: Josh Brown

Samantha Alger, PhD

I am an ecologist specializing in pollinators with one foot in research and another in consulting. I am a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont where I teach beekeeping, conduct research on bee disease, and direct the Vermont Bee Lab.

Sydney Miller
Lead Technician

I am the lead research technician and help to oversee the lab and field work at the VT Bee Lab. I am also a Master's student in the Plant and Soil Science Department at UVM. My research involves investigating UBeeO quantified hygienic behavior and its interaction with Nosema in honey bees. I am also investigating the biological relationship between honey bees and moss and fern species in Vermont.

Cailin Barrett
Technician and Social Media Coordinator

Since 2022, I've worked for the Vermont Bee Lab as a research technician and managed social media pages. I received my undergraduate degree in 2024 from the University of Vermont in agroecology and sustainable landscape design.

Photo Credit: Josh Brown

P. Alexander Burnham, PhD
Technical Advisor

I am a data scientist and computer programmer in the University Vermont's department of biology. My work focusses on understanding disease transmission between bumblebees and honeybees through a combination of mathematical modeling, lab experiments and field surveys. In addition to my work with pollinators, I am part of a research collaboration between UVM and UMaine that is examining how climate change will affect wild plant and animal communities, agriculture, and by extension, the human populations that rely upon them.

https://paburnham.com/