Dr Kit Prendergast
Australia
Studying Biodiversity & Ecology Affiliated Curtin University Appointed 2016
Dr Kit also known as The Bee Babette, is a wild bee scientist – studying the wild bees, but also a bit of a wild scientist! Her PhD research, undertaken as a Forrest Scholar, investigated the biodiversity native bees and pollination networks in urban areas, how to conserve them, and the impact of honeybees on native bees. She has since conducted research on using bee hotels as a recovery tool for native bees after bushfires through a grant she was awarded through the Federal Government. During her PhD she was a FameLab finalist, Amplify Ignite Finalist, featured on Gardening Australia, and winner of the ESA Outstanding Outreach Award. Dr Kit has published 53 articles (as of 3 Oct 2022, with three more accepted in press) and been cited over 470 times. She is also a circus performer, and loves using the performing arts to excite and engage people about bees.
You can follow Dr Kit on her Instagram page which showcases her performance work and bee research: @bee.babette_performer
Subscribe to The Bee Babette on YouTube to learn all about native bees!: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBeeBabette?app=desktop
Read The Bee Babettes book ‘Creating a Haven for Native Bees’ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreatingaHavenforNativeBeesBook/