"PhD position Swarming behaviour of Dipteran fliers"

Job Description

Do you enjoy working at the interface between behaviour, ecology, and evolution? Then you might be the PhD candidate we are looking for! In this project, you will investigate how swarming behaviour has evolved across Diptera (flies and mosquitoes), one of the most ecologically and behaviourally diverse insect orders. Using 3D field recordings and environmental monitoring, you will uncover how different species behave in swarms, how they use sensory cues from their environment, bringing new hindsight about the evolution of collective behaviour.

You will deploy a multi-camera 3D tracking system in natural settings to study insect flight and swarming dynamics across species. This will involve identifying swarming sites, collecting and identifying specimens, and analysing 3D flight trajectories in relation to local environmental cues such as light intensity, wind conditions, and visual structure. A key focus will be on how Dipteran insects perceive and use these cues—especially visual landmarks and light orientation—to form and maintain swarms.

To complement the fieldwork, you will conduct lab experiments on a model species (e.g. Culex pipiens) to test specific hypotheses about sensory-driven flight behaviour under controlled light and visual environments. This will allow you to explore the underlying mechanisms that shape swarming rules and to validate your field-based findings.

The broader aim of the project is to understand how insects use sensory information to coordinate group behaviours, how behavioural diversity is structured across species, and what these patterns suggest about the evolutionary roles of swarming—such as mate attraction or predator avoidance.

The PhD project is based in the Experimental Zoology Group (EZO) at Wageningen University, which has strong expertise in insect ethology, biomechanics, and sensory ecology. Using 3D videography, EZO has previously unraveled and modelled the behavioral rules of swarming malaria mosquitoes, providing a solid foundation for exploring flight behavior across diverse Dipteran species.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Designing and conducting field experiments to record Dipteran swarming behaviour using 3D tracking systems
• Quantifying flight and swarm traits (e.g. swarm shape, density, saccade frequency) and linking them to environmental and sensory cues
• Investigating how insects perceive and respond to light, visual landmarks, and wind when organizing collective behaviour
• Analysing interspecific variation in swarming behaviour using comparative and statistical approaches
• Exploring evolutionary hypotheses by clustering behavioural traits and mapping them onto phylogenetic trees
• Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of biomechanists, ecologists, and entomologists
• Publishing your findings in peer-reviewed journals and presenting at international conferences

Requirements

For this interdisciplinary and field-intensive project, we are looking for a highly motivated and skilled PhD candidate with a recent MSc degree (or equivalent) in biology, ecology, ethology, physics, or engineering, with a strong interest in animal behaviour and insect ecology.

Specific requirements are:

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to work with complex behavioral datasets
• Proficiency in scientific programming (e.g. Python, MATLAB, or R) for data analysis and visualization
• A clear affinity for insect behavior, sensory ecology, or movement ecology
• Fieldwork experience or a strong interest in conducting insect field studies across varied environments
• Ability to work independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team
• Good proficiency in English (both oral and written)
• For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level.

Preferred but not required:

• Experience with behavioral data analysis, 3D tracking, or video analysis
• Familiarity with comparative methods, phylogenetic analyses, or statistical modelling
• Background in Diptera, insect behavior, or field entomology
• Knowledge of sensory ecology or insect flight dynamics

Conditions of employment

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include: Partially paid parental leave; working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance; there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee; a fixed December bonus of 8.3%; excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team. The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.