Kirk

Dr. Kirk E. Anderson has conducted research in the ecology and evolution of social insects for 25+ years and is recognized nationally and internationally as an authority on honey bee microbial ecology. Dr. Anderson designed and built modern molecular and microbiology labs at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson AZ. He is Lead Scientist of the present 5-year CRIS project for the USDA “The Honey Bee Microbiome: Social and Reproductive Functions in Health and Disease”, and his research is aligned with the Action Plan for ARS National Program 305 – Crop Production. His research achievements are presented on various pollinator centric pod-casts, in the American Beekeeping Journal, Bee Culture, high-tier scientific journals, the USDA-ARS, top-tier research universities, and various media sources. His work on honey bee microbial ecology has led to invitations to international meetings, inclusion in the world-wide bee microbiome consortium, and consultations with state and national beekeeping organizations. Dr. Anderson has over 60 peer-reviewed publications, and has been awarded over $2,416,000.00 in competitive funding provided by the California State Beekeepers Association, Almond board of California, National Honey Board, Browning’s Honey Co, Scientific beekeeping.com, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and others. In 2015, he was awarded the PWA “Early Career Scientist of the Year” to recognize ARS research on the honey bee microbiome, and in 2020 acknowledged for a Top USDA Research Accomplishment validating the overwhelming utility of U.S. conservation lands in protecting pollinator health.