LACBA Speaker November 3, 2025 -
Boris & Barbara Baer

What’s the Buzz at CIBER

Boris and Barbara will give you an update on selected research projects at the Center for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER). Current topics (among others) include developing sensors to predict hive health, Varroa mite tolerant bee genotypes, a “grumpometer” and finding a Rosetta stone to translate bee language.

CIBER is located at UC Riverside. CIBER researchers collaborate with beekeepers from local clubs. Many projects involve scientists from different disciplines and universities within and outside the US.

Boris Baer is Professor for Pollinator Health and director of CIBER.

Barbara Baer-Imhoof is Associate Specialist for Pollinator Health and co-director of CIBER

Bios
Both studied biology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Boris finished with a master’s on tamarin monkeys in the rainforest of French Guyana, while Barbara studied the behavior of wall lizards in Zurich.

The two met while researching bumblebees during their PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Boris continued his scientific career with a post-doc at the University of Copenhagen on leafcutter ants. Barbara stayed in Zurich and evaluated human resources data for a Swiss Bank. She concluded that period of her life with an MBA and by moving to Copenhagen.

The couple has two sons Andrin (23) and Lucien (18)

In their free time they enjoy discovering new landscapes together. Boris loves building model ships and collecting model trains, while Barbara is an avid (audiobook) reader and loves dancing.