Erika Tucker

Education

I received my B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland in 2009 with an emphasis on ecology and evolution. I then completed a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Kentucky in 2015 focusing on taxonomy and systematics.  Upon completion of my doctorate, I was a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Hampshire from 2015-2018 where my research concentrated on taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecological modeling.

Field of Study

Hymenoptera, biodiversity, systematics, and ecological modeling.

Research Interests

My research explores the biodiversity, systematics, and ecological interactions of hymenoptera. I focus on groups that are of environmental, conservational, agricultural, or economical importance such as wild bees and parasitoid wasps.  I try to incorporate historical insect collections with new data acquisition, experiments, and modeling in much of my research. My goal is to document insect biodiversity while producing useful information for the scientific, agricultural, and environmental conservation communities.