Justin Bain
Postdoctoral Scholar, co-advised with Heather Hines
EDUCATION
2023-2026 Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Oklahoma
2023 PhD, Plant Biology and Conservation, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Northwestern University
2016 BSc, Ecology, Behavior and Evolution; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, San Diego
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am an ecologist studying how habitat characteristics and environmental change shape species interactions, focusing particularly on plant-pollinator networks and wild bee nutritional ecology.
My research program focuses on two main areas: how drivers such as habitat fragmentation, species loss, and extreme climate events (e.g., late-spring frosts) disrupt plant-pollinator interactions, and how nutritional landscapes available to wild bees contribute to plant-pollinator dynamics. To address these questions, I integrate niche theory, network analysis, and nutritional ecology.
I completed my PhD at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden, researching wild bumble bee nutritional ecology and plant-pollinator networks at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Prior to joining Penn State, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oklahoma. For details on current projects, please visit my website.