Iain Couzin

Iain Couzin is a British scientist and currently the director of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Department of Collective Behaviour and the chair of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz (Germany).[1] He is known for his work on collective behaviour in animals that aims to understand the fundamental patterns responsible for evolution of such behaviour in taxa as diverse as insects, fish and primates.[1] In recognition of his work, he has received several awards including the Searle Scholar Award in 2008, the Mohammed Dahleh Award in 2009, the National Geographic Emerging Explorer Award in 2012, and the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London in 2013.

Education

Couzin obtained his B.Sc. in biology from the University of St Andrews, followed by a PhD from the University of Bath in 1999 under the supervision of Professor Nigel R. Franks. He was then a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Leeds from 2000-2002. Couzin then moved on to faculty positions at Princeton University and then the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Konstanz.

Research

Couzin's work is aimed at understanding how collective behaviour in animals emerges, using a combination of fieldwork, computer simulations, lab experiments, and mathematical models.[2] His work with army ants showed how they move forming traffic lanes that optimizes their movement and avoids congestion.[2]

His work has been featured on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME, and BBC news.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Iain Couzin – Department of Collective Behaviour". collectivebehaviour.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  2. 1 2 "Iain Couzin, Behavioral Ecologist Information, Facts, News, Photos -- National Geographic". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  3. ↑ "Couzin Lab – Collective Animal Behavior: Iain Couzin – CV". icouzin.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.