01
Acoustic communication
Signals are produced and interpreted to guide behavior, which in turn feeds back to shape future signals.
Sound, brains, behavior
We study the neural computations that let animals process acoustic signals, decode communication, and choose behavior.
Research focus
Small nervous systems, rich social signals, computational tools.
Our brain is constantly confronted with sensory information, yet it manages to filter out relevant bits to produce appropriate behavior. We approach this problem by studying acoustic communication, often in insects, using computational tools.
02
Insect brains
Small, hard-wired nervous systems make insects ideal for connecting neural circuits to sophisticated behavior.
03
Computational tools
We use models and machine learning to analyze behavior and neural data, and to link descriptions across biological scales.
Current questions
From sensory filtering to group dynamics.
- How can machine learning turn animal sounds into measurable behavioral data?
- How do animals recognize and interpret communication signals to inform behavior?
- How are sensory processing, action selection, and motor pattern generation implemented in neural circuits of the brain?
- How do the neural circuits for song production and recognition evolve across species?
- How does social behavior change in groups and how is the group context represented in the brain?
- How do animals navigate?