News and Highlights
Congratulations to Melanie!
21.10.2026
This Tuesday Melanie defended her Bachelor’s of Education thesis titled Phenotypic Plasticity in the Behavioural Rhythms of the Desert Locust! Very exciting work on how phase transition affects when locusts do what. This thesis had some very interesting results that we are now going to follow up on, and working with Melanie was a pleasure!
Congratulations Maurice!
19.10.2026
Maurice defended his Bachelor thesis titled Juvenile Hormone Marching Regulation in Locust Swarming Behavior this Monday to great success! A lot of hard work went into this thesis, and lots of cool results. Great job Maurice and the best of luck in the future!
Congratulations Dr Maddy Narisety!
29.09.2026
Congratulations to Dr. Maddy Narisety on successfully defending her PhD, Habitat Geometry and the Development of Social Phenotypes in the Desert Locust. It was a pleasure to have Maddy work with us during her PhD. Her hard work and determination were much appreciated, and it was simply very nice to have her around. We wish her all the very best for the next chapter.
Congratulations to Elvira Mamonova!
24.07.2026
Congratulations to Elvira on defending her Master’s thesis: Neural Activity Mapping of Locust Phase Change via Immediate Early Gene Expression! This cool project combined behavioral experiments with immuno-histochemistry to probe how brain activity changes during gregarization of the desert locust. A great project, and such a pleasure to work together!
Claire presents at the 2026 DGfO Meeting in Karlsruhe!
17.04.2026
Claire presented her work Do Locusts Retain Lateralization Individuality Throughout Gregarization? at the Annual Meeting of the German Society of Orthopterology (Deutschen Gesellschaft für Orthopterologie), hosted at the Karlsruhe Muesum of Natural History.
Juan receives DAAD scholarship
30.03.2026
Congratulations to Juan Vázquez on receiving a scholarship through the DAAD Doctoral Programmes in Germany.
15th International Congress of Orthopterology (ICO2026)
Mar 2026
A great five days at ICO2026 in Patagonia, with lots of locust science, a symposium on phase polyphenism, excellent posters and talks, and some memorable time in the mountains.
Master’s thesis — Nina Schwarz
Dec 2025
Congratulations to Nina Schwarz on completing her Master’s thesis Appetite for aggregation: how starvation fuels social life. A very impressive body of work combining behaviour and calcium imaging, and a pleasure to have in the lab.
DFG funding awarded
Oct 2025
We are delighted to receive funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for our project The neural basis of locust plasticity and swarming. More details.
PhD defence — Dr. Yannick Günzel
24.07.2025
Congratulations to Dr. rer. nat. Yannick Günzel on successfully defending his PhD thesis, “The neuroethology of locust collective decision-making.” A truly outstanding defence and a reflection of his extraordinary breadth of contributions, from electrophysiology, behavioural tracking and analysis, and image processing to Bayesian methods, calcium imaging, and field work. Yannick has been central to the lab in every sense, and we plan to carry forward many of his traditions. Good luck in Rockefeller!
PhD defence — Dr. Inga Petelski
16.07.2025
Double congratulations to Dr. rer. nat. Inga Petelski on successfully defending her PhD thesis, “sensory processing and decision making in a social context”, and on the new addition to her family. We could not be prouder of this truly special milestone as the first doctorate from the lab, and of Inga’s outstanding contributions over the years — from neural recordings and staining to her team spirit and positive energy.
Master’s defence — Hannes Kübler
May 2025
Congratulations to Hannes on successfully defending his Master’s thesis, The Desert Locust Startle Response: Linking Descending Neurons and Behavioral Dynamics. Combining VR, electrophysiology, and behavioural analysis, this work investigates how threat is perceived, processed, and shapes escape decisions in individuals and groups. An fantastic piece of work and a great contribution to the lab in general. Hannes good luck with your PhD and dont forget to visit.
