Meet Esmaeil Amiri of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)! The NRC Research Associate works in a collaborative team between Dr. Olav Rueppell’s research group at UNCG and Dr. David R. Tarpy’s research group at North Carolina State University. Esmaeil was with us this week at the Biology & Genomics of Social Insects virtual meeting where he presented a poster entitled “Ontogeny of Immune Responses in Honey Bee Queens to IAPV Infection”. This is the second time Esmaeil has attended this meeting – he participated in the 2018 conference, giving a talk on “Trans-generational Effects in Honeybees―Focus on the Egg”.

Tell us about your research.
I am an integrative biologist studying honey bees: My research program combines honey bee management activities with molecular laboratory techniques and bioinformatics tools to study a) the dynamics of viruses and immune mechanisms in the complex social network of honey bees, and b) transgenerational effects and maternal investment in honey bees in response to environmental stressors.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
Well, let me go back to the time I was an undergraduate student pursing my study in Animal Science while I was a beekeeper managing around 250-300 colonies. As a beekeeper and naïve undergraduate student, I was really fascinated by the honey bee colony structure and especially the capability of the queen to produce 1500-2000 eggs per day and live much longer than any other colony member.

While I was pursuing my Master’s studies in Animal Breeding and Genetics, I found that current breeding and selection foster economical traits to the detriment of disease resistance. This was concurrent with the description of a novel honey bee health problem called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD); therefore, I decided to pursue the study of honey bee viruses as one of the main drivers of colony mortality during my PhD. My beekeeping expertise came in very handy during this time. Since then, I have sought for my research to contribute to our understanding of the ongoing pollinator health crisis and to improve apicultural practices. Honey bees are the most important crop pollinators and are also an attractive eusocial scientific model to study fundamental scientific topics.

Over the past years, my scientific interests have evolved, and I have become interested in expanding my research to understand transgenerational disease effects; including vertical pathogen transmission, as well as immune priming to enhance offspring immunity. In addition, I have become interested in life history theories and have started to study maternal investment in honey bees.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
Since I can remember, I have had a curious mind that directed me to travel internationally to several countries in different continents where I experienced multiple academic cultures. During my academic career, I met with many scientists and have been supervised by several great mentors in my research field. Every one of them inspired my scientific career in one way or another, and I am very much thankful for them. On a personal level, my mother and my wife have been the biggest inspiration for my scientific journey.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I am passionate about pollinators, so I have decided to stay in academia and continue my research in the field of pollinator health. My research area is recognized and accepted by my peers; therefore in five years, I can imagine myself as a university professor, managing an integrative and innovative research program that contributes to move our research field toward achieving the goal of a sustainable apicultural industry.  

What do you love most about being a researcher?
The science community is very dynamic, and the vast majority is motivated to share ideas and collectively contribute to move the science forward and to help understand the nature around us. As scientists, we are walking through the unknowns to make them be known and, many times, we face difficulties and obstacles. I mostly enjoy discovering methods and ways to solve problems by generating new knowledge that then becomes a part of the existing body of science.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
In 2018, my supervisor Dr. Olav Rueppell suggested I participate and present my research findings at this meeting. During the 2018 iteration, I enjoyed being part of a larger scientific community passionate about understanding the many different aspects of social insects. I found it interesting because it enabled me to get out of my honey bee research zone and see myself as part of a bigger group studying other social insects such as ants, wasps, and termites. The excitement from my first participation in 2018 encouraged me to join again this year and I have gotten the chance to learn even more from the oral and poster presentations.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
I gained many research ideas and learned about new methods to analyze genomic data that I am sure will enrich my future research projects. I also got the chance to meet with several other scientists and hope our discussion will pave the way for future collaborations.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
Since my first participation, interacting with so many great scientists in the meeting remains a great personal experience. I highly recommend PhDs, postdocs and other scientists in the field to participate and actively engage in the discussions.  

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The meeting taking place virtually in the middle of the current COVID pandemic makes for a memorable event. I would like to thank the organizers who thoughtfully managed the meeting. I especially appreciate the Discussion Zones and social events organizes as a way for us participants to connect.

Image provided by Esmaeil Amiri.

Thank you to Esmaeil for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured researchers - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.