Rate My Professor Brendan Daisley

Dr. Brendan Daisley is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology within the College of Biological Science at the University of Guelph. He earned his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Western University in 2021. His research integrates microbial ecology, high-throughput sequencing, genomics, and bioinformatics to investigate host-microbe interactions, with a focus on beneficial microbes supporting animal health and environmental resilience, particularly in honey bees.

Dr. Daisley is a co-founder of the Canadian Bee Gut Project and has led large-scale field trials demonstrating the potential of probiotic Lactobacillus strains to improve honey bee colony health. He introduced the “missing microbes” concept to honey bee microbiome research and developed bioinformatic tools including BEExact, a database for detecting uncultivated microbial dark matter, and isolateR, an R package for cataloguing novel bacterial and fungal strains. He received the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship as well as national awards during his doctoral studies, including the Armand Frappier Outstanding Student Award from the Canadian Society of Microbiologists and an NSERC Doctoral award. His work has contributed to over 3,000 citations on Google Scholar in areas such as microbial ecology, biodiversity, and probiotics. Dr. Daisley maintains an active role in advancing agricultural sustainability through microbiome-based strategies for pollinator health.