personal photo of Sarah Orr, PhD

Sarah Orr, PhD

Tagline:Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Tampa

Tampa, FL, USA

About Me

Hi! I am an insect ecotoxicologist interested in understanding how environmental change affects social insect pollinators. I use a variety of tools to answer questions such as:

  • How do gene x environment interactions shape insect phenotypes?

  • What organisms are the most vulnerable to environmental stressors and why?

  • Are organisms able to adapt to environmental change?

My goal as a scientist is to improve the health of native social insect pollinators that play a crucial role in human food crop supply. I work with a variety of social insects including native bees (common eastern bumblebee, Bombus impatiens) and wasps (eastern yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons).

I am always recruiting curious and passionate undergraduate researchers to work in our lab. If you are interested, please send me an email with your current CV/resume and a short description of your research interests and career goals.

Cover Image: A wild Bombus impatiens worker foraging on a common buttonbush flower (Cephalanthus occidentalis) in Atlanta, Georgia. Photographed on June 16, 2025, using a Canon R8 with a 100mm lens.

Research Interests

  • Ecotoxicology
  • Social Insects
  • Genetics
  • Collective Behavior
  • Pollinator Health

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy

    from: 2018, until: 2022

    Field of study:ToxicologySchool:North Carolina State UniversityLocation:Raleigh, NC

    Description

    PhD Advisor: Dr. David Buchwalter
    Dissertation Title: Physiological Mechanisms of Major Ion Toxicity in Aquatic Insects

  • Master of Science

    from: 2016, until: 2018

    Field of study:Biomedical SciencesSchool:Mercer UniversityLocation:Macon, GA

    Description

    MS Advisor: Dr. Christy Bridges
    Thesis Title: Potential Mechanisms of Inorganic Mercury Intoxication in Rat Kidney Cells

  • Bachelor of Science

    from: 2012, until: 2016

    Field of study:BiologySchool:University of North GeorgiaLocation:Dahlonega, GA

Publications

  • Bumblebees prefer sulfoxaflor-contaminated food and show caste-specific differences in sulfoxaflor sensitivity

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Environmental Toxicology and ChemistryDate:2025
    Authors:
    Sarah E OrrJixiang XuWanvimol C JuneauMichael A D Goodisman
    DOI

  • Novel insights into paternity skew in a polyandrous social wasp

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Insect ScienceDate:2024
    Authors:
    Sarah E. OrrNicole A. HedrickKayla A. MurrayAbhinav K. PasupuletiMichael A. D. Goodisman
    DOI

  • Genomic analyses of the southern and eastern yellowjacket wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) reveal evolutionary signatures of social life

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Annals of the Entomological Society of AmericaDate:2024
    Authors:
    Michael A CattoPaige B CaineSarah E OrrBrendan G HuntMichael A D Goodisman
    DOI

  • Genetic and environmental effects on morphological traits of social phenotypes in wasps

    Journal ArticlePublisher:HeredityDate:2024
    Authors:
    Sarah E. OrrNicole A. HedrickKayla A. MurrayAbhinav K. PasupuletiJennifer L. KovacsMichael A. D. Goodisman
    DOI

  • Variation in Freshwater Insect Osmoregulatory Traits: A Comparative Approach

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Ecological and Evolutionary PhysiologyDate:2024
    Authors:
    Jamie K. CochranSarah E. OrrDavid H. FunkAnastasia C. FigurskeyMichael H. ReiskindDavid B. Buchwalter
    DOI

Current and Past Student Mentees

Current Students:

  • Emma Leigh Bossard, Georgia Tech, 2024-2025

  • Kayla Murray, Georgia Tech, 2023-2025

  • Sophia Xu, Georgia Tech, 2023-2025

Past Students:

  • Abhinav Pasupuleti, Georgia Tech, 2023

  • Nicole Hedrick, Georgia Tech, 2023-2024

  • Rebecca Harshman, Agnes Scott College, 2024

  • Aom Juneau, Agnes Scott College, 2023

  • Rachel Gray, NC State University, 2020-2021

  • Gretta Overmyer, NC State University, 2020-2021

  • Ian Wallace, NC State University, 2019-2021

  • Jamie Cochran, NC State University, 2018-2022

Teaching

  • BIOL 200 Genetics

    From: 2025, Until: present

    Organization:University of TampaField:Biology

  • BIOL 114 Populations, Community, and Biosphere

    From: 2023, Until: 2023

    Organization:Morehouse CollegeField:Biology

  • TOX 415 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

    From: 2021, Until: 2022

    Organization:North Carolina State UniversityField:Biology