 | Dr. Brendan Daisley PhD, Banting Fellow, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph Dr. Daisley is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph and an SFA Executive Committee member of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics. He earned his PhD in Microbiology & Immunology at Western University in 2021. His research focuses on understanding the microbiome of honey bees and the application of probiotics to improve colony health. He introduced the “missing microbes” framework to bee microbiome research and has led several large scale field trials across North America demonstrating the benefits of probiotic lactobacilli on colony-level outcomes. In addition, he is the developer of BEExact, a bioinformatic database for improved detection of uncultivated microbial taxa, and is co-founder of the Canadian Bee Gut Project, a nationwide initiative to sequence thousands of bee microbiomes and identify drivers of colony loss. Ultimately, his work aims to advance sustainable beekeeping through microbiome-informed disease management and health interventions. |
 | Maggie Gill PHIRA-Science Maggie Gill is an entomologist and long-term beekeeper whose work focuses on honey bee health, pollinator nutrition, pests and diseases, and the resilience of pollination systems. She is the founder of PHIRA-Science, an independent research organisation delivering applied, field-based science shaped by the needs of beekeepers and other practitioners. With more than twenty years of beekeeping experience, Maggie works at the interface between practice and research, addressing challenges that are often poorly served by conventional academic approaches. She is recognised internationally as a leading expert on Tropilaelaps mites, with her research advancing understanding of their biology, detection, and management, and informing preparedness for emerging threats. Maggie collaborates widely with universities, research institutes, government bodies, and practitioner communities across Europe, North America, and Asia. |
 | Emily Pedzinski BeeFit Beekeeping Driven by a passion for agriculture, education, and the future of honey bees, commercial beekeeper and educator Emily Pedzinski has built a reputation for documenting the realities of modern beekeeping with honesty and transparency. After starting with just two hives in 2019, Emily has grown her operation into a multi-state commercial beekeeping business managing hundreds of colonies for pollination, honey production, and queen and nucleus colony production alongside her partner, Kasey Johns, whose experience in queen improvement strategies and colony management has been an important part of their operation’s growth. Through her educational platform, BeeFit Beekeeping, Emily gives audiences a behind the scenes look at the successes, failures, and lessons that come with operating a commercial beekeeping business while exploring the economic, environmental, and management challenges shaping the industry today. Known for asking difficult questions and encouraging open conversation, Emily combines real world experience with a forward looking perspective that challenges conventional thinking and leaves audiences with practical insights they can apply to their own operations and a deeper understanding of where the beekeeping industry is headed. |