Dr. Trevor Wardill

The Wardill lab uses the model animal Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) to identify visual circuit components and then apply the knowledge gained (from genetic, physiology, and behavioral experiments) to locate analogous circuits in other fly species, such as Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) and Killer flies (Coenosia attenuata). Taking this comparative approach allows them to reveal general principles of circuit function. The lab also investigates how cephalopods detect and express various forms of signals on their skin (movement, color, pattern, polarization, and 3D shapes).