Assistant Professor, Biology, Providence College
TEDxTufts Speaker, Embracing Science as a Verb
Storyteller, The Story Collider, A Dangerous Job
Rachael E. Bonoan, PhD
About Me
I received my Bachelor's of Science in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2013. From UMassD, I joined the Starks Lab to research honey bees for my Ph.D. For my post-doc, I studied ant-caterpillar interactions in the Pacific Northwest as a as part of the Crone and Schultz Labs. And I am now starting my lab, which will focus on insect pollinator behavioral and nutritional ecology, at Providence College! I enjoy speaking about my research (and insect pollinators in general!) to both scientific and general audiences.
Outside of science, I enjoy photographing insects, playing softball, reading (especially anything by Jane Austen, or pertaining to Sherlock Holmes), baking, and being with family and friends.
Photo: Anna Miller, Tufts Now
Photo: Evan Sayles, Tufts University
Photo: Andrés Vega
Photo: Anna Miller, Tufts Now
Education
Research Interests
2009 - 2013
UMass Dartmouth
B.S. Biology, Commonwealth Scholar
Appointments
2020 - present
Providence College
Assistant Professor
Nutritional Ecology
How do insects get the right nutrients in the right amounts from their ever-changing environment?
2013 - 2018
Tufts University
Ph.D. Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution
Ecological Immunity
How does the environment affect how an insect protects itself from disease?
Social Immunity
How do insects use behavior to protect themselves and their relatives from disease?
Insect Pollinator Health & Nutrition
How does diet and/or nutrient diversity affect pollinator health?
2018 - 2020
Tufts University & Washington State University
Post-doctoral Researcher
2017 - 2019
Tufts University Experimental College
Lecturer