Cottonwood (Populus angustifolia, P. fremontii, and hybrids) leaves in a greenhouse experiment at Northern Arizona University.

Sharing the Science

Whether it's a room of 500 experts or a dinner with local donors, I believe science is best when it's shared. Here are a few favorite moments from the podium.

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Next stop: Australia!

I am incredibly honored to be selected as the North American recipient of the IMS Early Career Researcher Award. This travel grant will allow me to present my work on the mycorrhizal cost-benefit trade-off at ICOM 2026 in Cairns. Can’t wait to see everyone Down Under!

Beatrice (Bea) Bock sitting on a panel with Ian Mounts, Dr. Stav Livne-Luzon, Dr. Martin Bidartondo, and Dr. Matthias Rillig at the Mycological Society of America conference in 2024 in Toronto, Canada.

Bringing People Together (MSA 2024)

One of the highlights of my PhD was co-organizing a symposium with my collaborator Ian Mounts. We secured funding from the Mycological Society of America and the New Phytologist Foundation to bring in speakers from around the world.

It was a pinch-me moment to share the stage with experts like Dr. Matthias Rillig, Dr. Martin Bidartondo, and Dr. Stav Livne-Luzon to discuss the future of Common Mycorrhizal Networks.

Bea (Beatrice) Bock on stage giving a talk for many, many people (it was scary but fun).

The "Dark Web" in Manchester (ICOM 2024)

Presenting at ICOM 2024 in the UK was a career milestone (and yes, a little terrifying!). I gave both a talk and a poster on our 'Dark Web' research.

I was completely surprised and grateful to take home the Functional Ecology Prize for my presentation. It was such a validating moment for this project.

In Conversation: SAMRN

I sat down with Dr. César Marín for the South American Mycorrhizal Research Network to geek out about Dark Septate Endophytes and the common networks they may form. We discussed my findings on common fungal networks and where the field might go next.

Interview Linked Here

Bea (Beatrice) Bock giving a presentation for donors at the annual Arizona ARCS dinner.

Connecting with Donors (ARCS Foundation)

Science doesn't happen without support. As an ARCS Scholar, I love the annual opportunity to meet the donors who make my research possible and explain exactly why fungal ecology matters.

Beatrice Bock giving a talk at Northern Arizona University at a research symposium. The slide on the screen was drawn by Bea, and it shows three plants being connected by fungi, with resource movement among them.

Communicating Complexity

Whether it's sketching out fungal networks for a slide or distilling a dissertation into 3 minutes, I love the challenge of making complex data accessible. (And sometimes, I even get to use my own drawings!)

AI & Science: Lunch and Learn

While attending the EMSL Summer School on Integrating AI into Science, I had the chance to present my work during the lunch series. It was a great (and casual!) opportunity to swap ideas with other researchers about using Machine Learning to tackle massive literature reviews.