Christopher Mayack Professor • Department of Biology View CV I am an integrative biologist interested in using a systems biology approach to improve honey bee health. In addition, I study the effects of pathogens and parasites on bee physiology and behavior to understand the current bee declines. I also use the honey bee as a model organism to study questions related to animal behavior, physiology, and neurobiology with a particular interest in metabolic homeostasis and the metabolic factors involved in the evolution of social behavior. Professional Interests Research - Improving honey bee health and studying honey bee physiologyExtension - Educating and collaborating with beekeepersElixide LLC - Cofounder and Head of the Organization, a drug discovery company for improving human and honey bee health Turkish Spanish German Degrees PhD Zoology, Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO BS Biology, State University of New York at Geneseo Geneseo, NY Specialization Insect physiology, animal behavior, honey bee health, exposomics, nutrition, metabolomics, appetite regulation, Nosema ceranae, ecotoxicology Licenses and Certifications 05/15/2012 Masters of Teaching Certificate, The Institute for Learning and Teaching Representative Publications Impacts of almond pollination service and inter-row cover cropping on honey bee colony strength and performance.; , The Science of the total environment; Volume 983, 2025 A Genome-Wide Analysis of Structure and Evolution in Irish and British Populations of Bombus terrestris (L. 1758): Implications for Genetic Resource Conservation.; , Evolutionary applications; Volume 18, 2025 Honey bee queen’s response to nutritional stress may depend on the stock variety; Apidologie; Volume 56, 2025 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105003865207 Neurochemical Correlates of Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off During Individual and Social Learning in Honey bees; , Journal of Insect Behavior; Volume 38, 2025 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85217416249 Sub-lethal pesticide exposure interferes with honey bee memory of learnt colours.; , The Science of the total environment; Volume 962, 2025 Representative Presentations An overview of automated honey bee hive monitoring systems Entomological Society of America annual meeting Entomological Society of America Washington DC, DC 2023 CRISPR-Cas9 for gene editing in the honey bee brain Departmental Seminar Burapha University Burapha , 2025 Knockdown of octopamine beta receptor subtype 2 using CRISPR-cas9 to understand its role in honey bee appetite regulation Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meeting on Biology & Genomics of Social Insects Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory , NY 2024 Metabolic dysregulation and alternative treatments for Nosema ceranae. 2023 International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control & 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology Society for Invertebrate Pathology , MD 2023 Poor air quality and climate change effects on bee health Third International Congress on Bee Sciences Afyon Kocatepe University , 2024 Awards and Honors 64th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting Nobel Laureates 01/01/2014 Chester County Beekeeper’s Association Grant Chester County Beekeeper’s Association 01/01/2017 First Year University Courses Teaching Award Sabanci University 01/01/2018 Graduate Level Teaching Award Sabanci University 01/01/2021 Research Associate Publication Award USDA - ARS 01/01/2024 Media Animalium Istanbul https://www.sakipsabancimuzesi.org/en/page/past-present-istanbul A video feature discussing the urbanization impacts on animals in and around Istanbul. Hive Minded https://bulletin.swarthmore.edu/fall-2017-issue-i-volume-cxv/hive-minded Front cover and segment covering honey bee research project conducted at Swarthmore College. Honey bees don’t get to pick their poison https://www.beeculture.com/honey-bees-dont-get-to-pick-their-poison/ Write up on recent publication for a beekeeper magazine. Honey bees stress each other out by warning about minor parasites https://www.newscientist.com/article/2275857-honeybees-stress-each-other-out-by-warning-about-minor-parasites/ Coverage of a recent publication for a popular science magazine. World Bee Day 2020 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GbQmCv-ai00 Interview about honey bee health for World Bee Day Fellowships, Grants and Research Alexander von Humbolt Post-Doctoral Fellowship Fellowship NIFA United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Post-doctoral Fellowship Fellowship Precision Assessment of the Impact of Nutrition on Honey Bee Health in the US Grant UC Davis Innovation Center for Honey Bee Therapeutics and Regulatory Science Grant Notable Courses Taught BIO 2040 General PhysiologyBIO 3080 Animal PhysiologyEvolution intermediate course (w/ 2 lab sections)Evolution of Social Behavior upper level seminar (w/ 2 lab sections)Bio 002 - Organismal and Population Biology (w/ 2 lab sections)Science of Nature I (NS 101), A Flipped Classroom Active Learning CourseGenetics (Bio 303) (w/ 2 lab sections)Life on Earth (NS 216)Integrative and Systems Biology (BIO 58005) (graduate level) Email 973 720 2442 4044 Hennings Science East By appointment
