The Muth Lab welcomes all, and aims to foster an inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves.

Alongside our research, we prioritize community building within the lab and department, DEI efforts and community outreach.

We are always happy to chat more, both about lab culture, and about the various outreach and DEI efforts we are all involved in.

Lab Photos, February 2024.

Dr Felicity Muth
(principal investigator)

I am broadly interested in animal behaviour and cognition, especially aspects of learning and memory that have a clear function in the natural world.
I am originally from London, but carried out my undergraduate and PhD in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews, working on nest construction in birds. After my PhD I switched to working on bumblebee cognition in postdoctoral positions at the University of Arizona and University of Nevada, Reno where I was funded by L’Oreal for Women in Science , the AAUW and the USDA. The Muth Lab is currently funded by a National Geographic Wildlife Intelligence grant, NSF, and by the Stengl-Wyer Foundation.
I am a strong proponent of science communication in all its forms. I recently wrote a children’s book on bee diversity - for more info see www.amievenabee.com. I have been interviewed on NPR’s *Science Friday* and on KUNR, talking about bee cognition and the challenges faced by women in science. Between 2012 and 2017 I wrote a blog for ***Scientific American MIND***.

Graduate Students

**SMRUTI PIMPLIKAR**

**PhD Candidate (2021-present)**
Smruti is broadly interested in comparative cognition and has recently worked on sensory thresholds in nectar- and pollen-foraging bumblebees, as well as flexibility in queen and worker bumblebees.

**Leeah Richardson**

**PhD Candidate 2020-present, co-supervised with Dr Shalene Jha**
Leeah is interested in the effects of anthropogenic stressors on native bees, as well as questions in comparative cognition - for example, how bumblebee queens’ cognition & brains change across their lifetime.

**Jennie devore**

**PhD Student (Fall 2022 - present)**
Jennie is interested in the cognition involved in bumblebee colony construction, and the mechanisms that underpin this behavior.

**fiona macneill**

**PhD Candidate 2019-present, primary supervisor Brian Sedio**
Fiona is interested in chemical ecology, and right now is conducting an experiment comparing the nectar chemistry of bee- vs. bird-pollinated plants.

Honorary Lab Members, Research Assistants

and Undergraduate Researchers

STEPHEN wANG

PhD student (Fall 2023-present)

Stephen is co-supervised by Alex Wild and Ulrich Mueller, and works on ants, but is an honorary Muth Lab member, since ants and bees are basically the same(?) - Stephen would be able to tell you this, since he’s an expert on insect taxonomy.

Angie Nguyen

Undergraduate Researcher and technician (2021-Present)

Angie worked in the lab as an undergraduate, and then after graduating continued as research assistant both in the lab and conducting field work in NV and CA. Angie has worked across a number of projects and is broadly interested in biology.

Alex bekar

Undergraduate Researcher (2023-Present)

Alex is interested in the cognition involved in bumblebee colony construction, and in particular, the acceptance thresholds around what makes a honeypot for a bumblebee. After finishing his degree, Alex plans to go to medical school.

meena tanimura

Undergraduate Researcher (2023-Present)

I am an undergraduate who is pursuing a degree in Biology at The University of Texas at Austin with a minor in Business. I enjoy hiking, traveling, and being outdoors. After completing my degree I plan to attend medical school.

Eswar Gopalakrishnan

Undergraduate Researcher (2022-Present)

I am a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas studying neuroscience with a focus on pre-medicine. After my time at UT, I plan to pursue my MD. In my free time, I enjoy playing basketball, reading, and trying new coffee flavors.

Alissa Murphy

Undergraduate Researcher (2023-Present). I am a Biology major with a focus on ecology, evolution, and behavior and am pursuing a studio art minor. I joined the Muth lab excited to work with bees and to explore ideas of ecology and animal behavior, such as choice and species-environment interactions. My other passions include rock climbing, swimming, drawing, and enjoying the outdoors.

Ayngaran adalarasu

Undergraduate Researcher (2022-Present). Ayngaran is an undergraduate majoring in Electrical and Computer engineering. Ayngaran has creatively been re-designing and re-inventing equipment for the Muth Lab.

Previous Muth Lab Members

Postdoctoral Researchers

Caroline Strang, Postdoctoral Researcher 2019-2021. Currently faculty at Brescia University College, Canada.

Harry Siviter, Postdoctoral Researcher 2020-2023. Currently faculty at Bristol University, UK.

Claire Hemingway, Postdoctoral Researcher 2020-2023. Currently faculty at University of Tennessee, USA.

Undergraduate Researchers

2023: Nia Altman

2022: Shannon Henry, Lily Gray

2021: Danielle Pettinger. Coming from an engineering background, Danielle not only assisted with research, but also re-designed our lab equipment to make it all work better. We’re happy to share our 3D print designs for clip-on colony connectors, colony stands and foraging arenas.

2019-2020: Anthony Johnson

2019-2020: Katie Hall

Anthony and Katie were instrumental in getting the Muth Bee Cognition Lab up and running. Anthony is co-author on a manuscript (Siviter, Johnson & Muth 2021) and Katie’s research was featured as part of the Research Showdown film festival at UT Austin.