Ajay Narendra is an ARC Future Fellow and heads the Ecological Neuroscience group. His research is in the field of insect neuroethology. Ajay’s research focusses on acquisition and processing of navigational information in the natural environment. He is also interested in ant community ecology.
Homepage; Flickr; E: ajay.narendra AT mq.edu.au
Postdoctoral Fellows
Franne Kamhi is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded by the Australian Research Council. She is interested in ant sociobiology, neuromodulation, and comparative neuroanatomy. Currently, she is studying the visual circuitry involved in navigation in Australian bull ants (Myrmecia).
Homepage; E: franne.kamhi AT mq.edu.au
Yuri Ogawa is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded by the Australian Research Council. Yuri is interested in the physiological basis for animal vision and in the evolution of vision for occupying specific habitats and for displaying particular behaviours.
Homepage; E: yuriogawa.kato AT mq.edu.au
Students
Ravindra Palavalli Nettimi is a PhD student interested in all things ants! Ravi is investigating the behavioural implications of miniaturisation in ants.
Homepage; E: rvndrpn AT gmail.com
Fiorella Ramirez-Esquivel is a PhD student. Fiorella uses a variety of microscopy techniques (SEM, TEM, light microscopy) to study the role of miniaturisation in the structure and packing density of external sensory arrays in ants.
E: fiorella.cre AT gmail.com
Zachary Sheehan is a Masters student (MRes). Zach’s an expert in ant brain dissections. He is investigating how neuropils scale with size and activity-time in Myrmecia ants.
E: zachary.sheehan AT students.mq.edu.au
Duncan Jaroslow is a Masters student (MRes) investigating how the ant brains adapt as they acquire distinct navigational information. Prior to joining us, Duncan was based at Latrobe University where he studied populations genetics in Iridomyrmex ants.
E: duncan.jaroslow AT students.mq.edu.au
Research Assistants
Alex Szwaja is helping us measure the metabolic rates in ants and is supported by the MQ Species Spectrum Research Centre.
Shwetha Sambasivam supported by the Hermonslade Foundation is documenting the variation of ocellar structure in ants.
Alumni
Christopher Whyte was a Research Assistant in the group and helped in digitising video footage. 2016
Braxton Jones was a volunteer in the group where he studied the hunting choreography of the charismatic net casting spiders. 2016
