Rebecca McKee

Rebecca is a PhD student supervised by Dr. Emily Remnant and Assoc. Prof. Alyson Ashe. She completed her Honours project in 2022 with the BEE Lab, characterising the miRNAs (short RNA regulators of gene expression) of Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) and a major threat to honey bee health worldwide. In her PhD (started July 2023), she will further investigate the relationship between honey bees and Varroa and the roles that parasite miRNAs can play in host manipulation for parasite advantage. She will also investigate the function of Varroa miRNAs and whether they may be candidate targets for Varroa control.