Profile

Pierre Lau began researching pollinators in 2011 on native bee pollination efficiency in a watermelon agroecosystem and salt preferences of honey bee water foragers. He received his B.S. in Environmental Systems: Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He then received his Ph.D. as a USDA NIFA Predoctoral Fellow at Texas A&M University under the direction of Dr. Juliana Rangel. Currently, Pierre is a Research Ecologist for the USDA’s new Pollinator Health in Southern Crop Ecosystems Research unit in Stoneville, MS.

Pierre’s research has focused on various aspects of honey bee health with an emphasis on bee nutrition. In particular, he studies honey bee foraging preferences and incorporates aspects of palynology, landscape ecology, plant biology, chemical ecology, and insect physiology to better understand the nutritional basis for honey bee foraging preferences. He is also researching ways nutrition can be applied to mitigate stressors bees experience.