Sarah Cusser

I’m a fourth year graduate student in the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Department at the University of Texas in Austin. Advised by Dr. Shalene Jha, my research investigates the composition and movement of native bee communities in agricultural landscapes here in central Texas.

Currently, I’m looking at the pollinators of both peach and cotton crops to determine what affect agricultural development has had on the composition and movement of the bee community as well as the quality of pollination service provided.

My research hopes to inform land management decisions that best promote the conservation and restoration of these important insect communities. In the past, Ive worked on habitat restoration projects in California, Vermont and Ohio and in agricultural systems in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.