Heather Mattila

Professor and Chair, Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College

She completed her Ph.D. in 2005 at the University of Guelph (Canada), where her research focused on the effects of nutritional stress on colony health and productivity. She subsequently completed a four-year postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University (USA), where her research shifted to an examination of the mating behavior by honey bee queens and its impact on the colonies that they produce. Heather has been a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wellesley College since 2009. At Wellesley, her research continues to focus on mechanisms of social communication and organization, including honey bee behavior, the chemical ecology of colonies, the microbiology of queens and workers, and impact of nutritional stress on workers. Recently, her research program has expanded to examine these topics in bumble bees, Asian honey bees, and hornets. Heather teaches undergraduate classes at Wellesley College on the subjects of organismal biology, animal behavior, and social insect biology. In addition to teaching at the College, she is honored to receive opportunities to speak with beekeepers and other people around the world who are interested in learning about how to support the health and welfare of bees. Heather’s research program is supported by a dedicated group of Wellesley students, collaborations with colleagues from universities across North America, Europe, and Asia, and by the many colonies of bees that her lab maintains on the Wellesley College campus.