The field of biology is witnessing unprecedented innovation, driven by major advancements in technologies like next-generation sequencing, gene editing, and drones. These breakthroughs are crucial for addressing pressing issues in human health and the environment.
However, despite this progress, there is a growing disconnect among students in higher education. Many perceive traditional higher education as lacking relevance, creating an existential gap. And rightly so.

Animal behavior is a key determinant of individual fitness, but also drives patterns and processes at broader ecological scales. By studying the drivers and diversity of individual behavioral strategies, we can develop a mechanistic understanding of emergent collective behavior, population dynamics, community structure, and landscape-level ecological processes. In my work, I use the antipredator behavior of African ungulates as a lens to explore the cross-scale ecological impacts of behavior.

One of the most intriguing benefits of group living is that animals may collectively tap into emergent properties to improve their decision-making abilities. This benefit likely underlies all biological collective systems, from single-celled organisms with arrays of sensors, to mixed-species flocks of migrating birds.

My research explores the dynamic and multiscale nature of animal behavior, integrating insights across scales of biological organization. In today’s seminar, I will discuss two key directions of my work.