Sandra Rehan

Sandra Rehan is a Full Professor in the Department of Biology at York University, affiliated with the Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. Her research focuses on social evolution and biodiversity in bees, integrating molecular phylogeny, comparative genomics, behavioral ecology, and pollinator health. She explores how environmental factors like land use and climate change impact bee communities and their ecological roles.

Research Interests:

• Behavioral Ecology: Social plasticity in bees, cooperative behavior, and aggression dynamics.
• Conservation: Pollinator health, habitat requirements, and responses to urbanization.
• Genomics: Comparative genomics of social evolution, microbiome interactions, and transcriptomic responses to stress.

Key Findings:

• Uncovered evolutionary origins of sociality in carpenter bees using molecular phylogeny.
• Documented climate and land use impacts on wild bee populations and their microbiomes.
• Developed genomic tools for studying social behavior and local adaptation in bees.

Labs/Groups: The Rehan Lab and the Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation research group at York University.