A Career in Bee Conservation
A Journey to Ecological Research and Pollinator Conservation
Like many students, Gabriella Pardee, Ph.D., started her journey at the University of Toledo with an “undecided” major. After a year and a half of exploring a variety of fields, Pardee took an Introduction to Environmental Science course which spearheaded her career in ecological research.
Her newly declared major in environmental science required students to have two credits of a second language. After studying Spanish for most of her life, she decided to add the language as a second major, preparing her to study abroad in Chiapas, Mexico on a coffee farm where she studied ants and observed interactions between the ants and coffee pests. She immersed herself in the language by taking a six-week summer program in San Sebastian, Spain, as well as a semester-long program in Santiago, Chile.
Her research experience in Chiapas encouraged her to pursue her Ph.D. in Biology. However, after developing nightmares about the ants, she made the decision to move on to a different insect—queue: the bee.
“I had to teach myself about what a bee was, and how to distinguish a bee from a fly or a wasp,” Pardee said. “I was collecting bees and identifying them and learned that they are super fascinating organisms important for humans and plants.”
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science in 2011, Pardee began her PhD in Biology at North Carolina State University where she received a grant from The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Investigating Bee Populations and Urbanization
Pardee completed her first post-doctoral research at the University of Minnesota. While in Minnesota, Pardee was in a long-distance relationship with her now-husband, Sean Griffin. In 2020, Pardee and Griffin were both offered post-doctoral research positions at the University of Texas at Austin with The Jha Lab. One year into their post-doctoral research, the two married and settled down in Austin.
At The Jha Lab, Pardee supervised research teams on field projects that studied changes in bee species and populations, and conserving bee pollinators in urbanization. Over her four years with The Jha Lab, Pardee’s findings were published in multiple scientific journals that focus on how climate and land development affect species and how that impacts our ecosystems.
“Austin is the fastest growing city in the Southwest, where native (habitats are) replaced by buildings and concrete,” Pardee said. “We researched aspects of bee’s natural habitats and their proximity to natural areas, and how that can change in the face of urbanization.”
Studying Pollinators and Mentoring Social and Natural Science Students
From The Jha Lab, Pardee landed a job as the Research Director at the Wild Basin Creative Research Center, where she works closely with faculty and staff to help undergraduate and graduate students access research opportunities. Much of her role involves mentoring students and supporting them through their research. She also hires one to two undergraduate students every semester to intern with her at Wild Basin.
“I wanted a career studying pollinators and I love to mentor students,” Pardee said. “I wanted a career where I could research and mentor students. I’ve mentored around 10 students and it’s a major component of the job. I didn’t want to work at a big R1 university and didn’t like that kind of job. I wanted to work at a smaller undergrad-focused university.”
Since Wild Basin is co-owned and co-managed by St. Edward’s University and Travis County, Pardee often interacts and collaborates with biologists, researchers and longtime volunteers at the preserve where they conduct research and monitoring activities that contribute to the conservation efforts on the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve lands.
Pardee is looking forward to her second year with the Wild Basin Creative Research Center, especially continuing work on the preserve supported by the Center’s recent grant from the Scanlan Family Foundation supporting the two-year Bee Creek Initiative. Bee Creek is a year-round stream that flows through the preserve and is vulnerable to sediment spills and other pollution.
When she’s not working, Pardee enjoys hiking and running around Wild Basin, Pedernales Falls State Park and Emma Long Park. She also loves to hang out with her almost two-year-old daughter! Spending 15 years studying bee conservation, Pardee hopes to promote the protection of bee populations so future generations, like her daughter, can enjoy the numerous benefits bees bring to our earth.
We asked Pardee what she wants both readers and students to know. Here are her answers:
Why do Bees sting people?
Bees are not out to sting you and won’t attack you if you walk by them. Only female bees sting and there are distinguishable characteristics. Females are often larger than males, males don’t collect pollen, and the females are only around to mate. Bees are very docile and only want to sting if they are feeling threatened or attacked!
What’s one career tip you want students to know?
Reach out to anyone who has a career that you would love to have. People are really excited when they get an email like that. Reaching out to someone in the field you want to have a career in can give you important insights on how to prepare for that role and as well as help with networking.
What’s your favorite spot at Wild Basin?
I really like the spot along the stream crossing. There’s a little stream crossing along Creek Trail with ferns and it’s peaceful. It’s also one of the spots where you don't hear the traffic.
