Bert Hölldobler

Bert Hölldobler is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, specializing in Biology. He joined ASU in 2004 as Foundation Professor of Life Sciences, advancing to Regents’ Professor in 2013, University Professor in 2014, and inaugural Robert A. Johnson Chair in Social Insect Research in 2021, retiring in 2023 after 19 years. His education includes a Staatsexamen (1962) and Dr. rer. nat. (1965) from the University of Würzburg—where his doctoral thesis examined social behavior in male carpenter ants—and Habilitation (1969) from the University of Frankfurt; he also received an honorary MA from Harvard (1973). Career highlights encompass professorships at the University of Frankfurt, Harvard University (Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology, 1982-1990), University of Würzburg (1989-2004), Cornell University (Andrew D. White Professor at Large, 2002-2008), and ongoing Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona. At ASU, he co-founded the Social Insect Research Group and Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity.

Hölldobler, a pioneering behavioral biologist and sociobiologist, focuses on the evolution and organization of social insect societies, particularly ants, investigating communication, division of labor, and social evolution. With over 300 publications, key books co-authored with E.O. Wilson include “The Ants” (1990, Pulitzer Prize 1991), “Journey to the Ants” (1994), “The Superorganism” (2008), “The Leafcutter Ants” (2011), and “The Guests of Ants” (2022, 2023 PROSE finalist). Other notable works: “Herbivory of Leaf-Cutting Ants” (2003). Major awards feature the Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Prize (1990), Cothenius Medal (2011), Fabricius Medal (2019), Guggenheim Fellowship (1980), and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society. He co-edited Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology (1976-1989). The documentary “Ants: Nature’s Secret Power” (2005) won a Jackson Hole Film Festival award. His research has significantly impacted sociobiology, ecology, and public understanding of animal societies.

Professional Email: bert.hoelldobler@asu.edu