Julie Mustard
Mentor since: 2024
Mentees: Lizbet Salcedo
Field of expertise: Neuroethology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Pollinator Behavior, Pollinator-Plant Interactions
Short biography:
Julie Mustard is an Associate Professor in the School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences (SIBCS). Her research involves using the honey bee (Apis mellifera) to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying learning and other behaviors. Recently, she has begun working on how secondary compounds and the nutrition of nectar may influence pollinator behavior. She collaborated with a group of faculty to establish a pollinator garden on the Brownsville campus of UTRGV (www.utrgv.edu/pollinatorcantina). Additionally, she is a PI for a project to characterize floral resources for pollinators in the native Tamaulipan thornscrub forest. High school, undergraduate and Master’s students, in her research group undertake a wide variety of projects in topics from neurobiology to pollination.
Website: https://www.utrgv.edu/sibcs/faculty-staff/julie-mustard/index.htm