Anja Buttstedt

Anja Buttstedt is a Research Fellow at the University of Tübingen’s Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Comparative Zoology. She holds a DFG grant (2023–present) for research on honey bee food jellies, focusing on sterol and protein roles in worker/drones. Previously, she served as a Feodor Lynen Fellow at the University of Pretoria (2021–2023) and held postdoctoral positions at TU Dresden and MLU Halle-Wittenberg. Her work bridges protein biochemistry and insect physiology, emphasizing honeybee larval nutrition and social insect ecology.

Education: Dr. rer. nat. in protein biochemistry (2011, MLU Halle-Wittenberg); Diploma in Biology (2007, University of Tübingen).

Research interests include: (1) molecular mechanisms of food jelly production in honeybees, (2) functional roles of MRJPs and sterols (e.g., 24MC), (3) larval developmental pathways, and (4) comparative zoology of social insects. Current projects address worker/drone jelly functions beyond royal jelly.

Key contributions include discovering mandibular gland secretion of 24MC and elucidating fibril formation in royal jelly. Her work has been published in *Current Biology*, *Nature*, and *Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*.

Grants: DFG (2023–2026), Humboldt Foundation (2021–2023). Awards: Feodor Lynen Fellowship.

Labs/Teams: Part of the Comparative Zoology group at Tübingen and the Social Insects Research Group at Pretoria.