Avery Roe is an accomplished entomologist focusing on wild bee diversity, ecology, and conservation. She spent the year after graduating working for Pollinator Partnership, the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting North American pollinators. As a Program Associate, Avery delivered the Pollinator Steward Certification course, guiding over 1,000 participants to become experts and advocates for native pollinators. She also disseminated research from North American Pollinator Protection Campaign grant recipients and supported backyard gardeners, school teachers, and community leaders in taking action for native bees and other pollinators. She graduated with honors from the University of Florida in 2025 with a degree in Entomology and Nematology, and a minor in Organic and Sustainable Crop Production. As an undergraduate at the University of Florida, she was a member of the University Scholars Program and conducted an in-depth analysis of plant-pollinator interactions in the UF/IFAS Horticultural Student Teaching Garden, exploring the complex dynamics of pollination between crop plants and a diverse array of native and managed bees. Following her junior year, she participated in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates in Lesvos, Greece, where she studied the thermoregulatory behaviors of bees. This time in Greece and the connections it catalyzed laid the groundwork for her Fulbright Fellowship.

Next fall, she will take her love of bees to the Parthenon, one of the world’s most treasured archaeological sites, to catalog native bee biodiversity as a Fulbright Scholar. She will gather information on the behavior and ecology of native and endemic pollinators inhabiting the Acropolis UNESCO World Heritage Site using an extensive Greek bee reference collection, the Melissotheque of the Aegean, created by her research host, Professor Theodora Petanidou. This project aims to highlight the importance of preserving culture and biodiversity and to demonstrate how archaeological sites can serve as safeguards for nature over time. When she is not outside observing the wonderful world of pollinators, Avery loves long nature walks, taking photographs, and reading, and cannot wait to bring these hobbies with her to Greece.