Lucy R Miles

After completing a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, I undertook an eight-month internship in Microbiology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. There, I investigated cell wall synthesis in *Agrobacterium tumefaciens* and conducted research on *Agrobacterium* bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria).

Following my research in Switzerland, I returned to Australia to pursue a higher degree by research at the University of the Sunshine Coast's Thompson Institute. Under the supervision of Professor Robert Harvey and Associate Professor Kate Mounsey, my research focuses on developing novel biopesticides for the control of *Varroa destructor*, a parasitic mite that poses a major threat to honeybee populations worldwide.