The Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology lab
Principal investigatorDr. Fernando Montealegre-Z
Professor of Sensory Biology School of Life Sciences University of Lincoln United Kingdom |
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Academic history
2017-present Professor of Sensory Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK
2015-2017 Reader (Associate Professor), School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK
2012-2015 Senior Lecturer in Zoology, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK
2008-2012 Human Frontier Science Program Research Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
2005-2007 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Life Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada
Education
2016 P.G.C.E., School of Education, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom
2005 Ph.D., Department of Zoology, University of Toronto
1997 B.Sc., (Diploma, Biology-Entomology), Universidad del Valle, Colombia
Other appointments
2013-present Visiting academic, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, China
2011-2012 Visiting Scientist, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Département Systématique et Evolution,
Paris, France.
2000-2007 Teaching assistant, Functional Morphology of Animals, University of Toronto, Canada
2000-2007 Teaching assistant, General and Forensic Entomology, University of Toronto, Canada
Google Scholar Profile
2015-2017 Reader (Associate Professor), School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK
2012-2015 Senior Lecturer in Zoology, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK
2008-2012 Human Frontier Science Program Research Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
2005-2007 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Life Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada
Education
2016 P.G.C.E., School of Education, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom
2005 Ph.D., Department of Zoology, University of Toronto
1997 B.Sc., (Diploma, Biology-Entomology), Universidad del Valle, Colombia
Other appointments
2013-present Visiting academic, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, China
2011-2012 Visiting Scientist, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Département Systématique et Evolution,
Paris, France.
2000-2007 Teaching assistant, Functional Morphology of Animals, University of Toronto, Canada
2000-2007 Teaching assistant, General and Forensic Entomology, University of Toronto, Canada
Google Scholar Profile
Top row: Charlie Woodrow, Oscar Guadayol, Emine Celiker, Fernando, Darron Cullen. Lower row: Christian Pulver, Eleftherios Siamantouras
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Emine Celiker
Dr. Emine Celiker (2018-present)
Emine is a Mathematician. Her previous work has been on constructing and analysing highly-accurate numerical methods for the approximate solutions of elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations in complex geometries. These included problems in fluid dynamics such as two-phase flow problems, for which the numerical simulations were obtained using newly developed methods based on the conforming finite-element method.
As part of the team in the Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology lab, she will be transferring these skills to the mathematical modelling and the numerical simulation of the workings of the inner ear of the bushcricket (katydid). Due to the unique structure of this bushcricket’s ear, which is very similar to the structure of the mammalian ear, this work is designed to contribute to the expanding array of insect-inspired technology. Emine is an associated researcher in our large-scale ERC consolidator grant.
Emine is a Mathematician. Her previous work has been on constructing and analysing highly-accurate numerical methods for the approximate solutions of elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations in complex geometries. These included problems in fluid dynamics such as two-phase flow problems, for which the numerical simulations were obtained using newly developed methods based on the conforming finite-element method.
As part of the team in the Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology lab, she will be transferring these skills to the mathematical modelling and the numerical simulation of the workings of the inner ear of the bushcricket (katydid). Due to the unique structure of this bushcricket’s ear, which is very similar to the structure of the mammalian ear, this work is designed to contribute to the expanding array of insect-inspired technology. Emine is an associated researcher in our large-scale ERC consolidator grant.
Dr. Darron Cullen
Dr. Darron Cullen (2019)
Darron has recently joined the lab as a research fellow. He uses molecular biology to investigate insect behaviour, biomechanics and physiology. He completed his PhD (2007-11) at the University of Sydney with Prof. Steve Simpson and Prof. Greg Sword, and moved to the Department of Zoology in Cambridge (2011-14), as a Postdoctoral researcher working on locust behaviour and biomechanics with Dr. Swidi Ott, Dr. Steve Rogers and Prof. Malcolm Burrows. In 2014 he moved to KU Leuven, Belgium, to continue his work on locusts with Prof. Jozef Vanden Broeck. Darron held a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Research Foundation, Flanders (FWO) between 2015 and 2018. Subsequently he then returned to Cambridge (2018-19) to work with Dr. Jimena Berni to investigate the role of Hox genes during neuronal development in Drosophila.
In his new role at Lincoln Darron is working with Prof. Fernando Montealegre-Z to investigate the molecular development and neurobiological functioning of the katydid hearing organ. Darron will also be involved in developing a method for dye loading of anatomical tracers into the auditory nerve of the bush-cricket ears, using suction electrodes attached to the nerve, to study the activation patterns of auditory afferents using calcium imaging techniques.
Darron has recently joined the lab as a research fellow. He uses molecular biology to investigate insect behaviour, biomechanics and physiology. He completed his PhD (2007-11) at the University of Sydney with Prof. Steve Simpson and Prof. Greg Sword, and moved to the Department of Zoology in Cambridge (2011-14), as a Postdoctoral researcher working on locust behaviour and biomechanics with Dr. Swidi Ott, Dr. Steve Rogers and Prof. Malcolm Burrows. In 2014 he moved to KU Leuven, Belgium, to continue his work on locusts with Prof. Jozef Vanden Broeck. Darron held a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Research Foundation, Flanders (FWO) between 2015 and 2018. Subsequently he then returned to Cambridge (2018-19) to work with Dr. Jimena Berni to investigate the role of Hox genes during neuronal development in Drosophila.
In his new role at Lincoln Darron is working with Prof. Fernando Montealegre-Z to investigate the molecular development and neurobiological functioning of the katydid hearing organ. Darron will also be involved in developing a method for dye loading of anatomical tracers into the auditory nerve of the bush-cricket ears, using suction electrodes attached to the nerve, to study the activation patterns of auditory afferents using calcium imaging techniques.
Dr. Eleftherios Siamantouras
Dr. Eleftherios Siamantouras (2019)
Eleftherios is a post-doctoral Research Associate aiming to advance nanotechnology & bio-instrumentation in the area of cell biology. Particularly, the application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a nano- and micro-scales force sensing platform to measure biological materials of the various components of the bush-cricket ears, for instance the tracheal tubes involved conducting sound, tympana membranes, and inner ear materials.
Eleftherios is a post-doctoral Research Associate aiming to advance nanotechnology & bio-instrumentation in the area of cell biology. Particularly, the application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a nano- and micro-scales force sensing platform to measure biological materials of the various components of the bush-cricket ears, for instance the tracheal tubes involved conducting sound, tympana membranes, and inner ear materials.
Dr. Oscar Guadayol (2021)
Oscar is a new lab member in the lab, and is the PDRA associate to our NSF-NERC grant, collaborated with Prof. Hojun Song (Texas), and Prof. Nathan Bailey (St. Andrews). Using his expertise in fluid dynamics, Oscar is studying the biophysical properties of the inner ear fluid in varios species of bush crickets. The amount of fluid enclosed in the bush cricket inner ear is very small (nanoliter level) and Oscar is approaching the problem of inferring the anisotropic properties and general fluid dynamics at such small scale using Microrheology.
Oscar is a new lab member in the lab, and is the PDRA associate to our NSF-NERC grant, collaborated with Prof. Hojun Song (Texas), and Prof. Nathan Bailey (St. Andrews). Using his expertise in fluid dynamics, Oscar is studying the biophysical properties of the inner ear fluid in varios species of bush crickets. The amount of fluid enclosed in the bush cricket inner ear is very small (nanoliter level) and Oscar is approaching the problem of inferring the anisotropic properties and general fluid dynamics at such small scale using Microrheology.
Graduate students
Christian Pulver
Visualisation of the sound field around a katydid using laser refractometry
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Christian projects involve measuring the mechanical contribution of the multiple acoustic ports to a single ear (each ear receives input externally from two tympanic membranes and internally via the acoustic trachea). His experiments require a setup of three laser systems. Two portable laser units will record vibrations from each tympanum of one ear, while a micro-scanning LDV will record from the inner ear though transparent cuticle. These experiments will involve several katydid species with variable ear morphology to account for variability in the three ear components. This comparative approach enables the acquisition of data on directional hearing, and active and passive amplification. It is known that while some species rely on the outer ear (the acoustic trachea for passive acoustic amplification) others do not use this mechanism.
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Charlie Woodrow
3D reconstructions of the acoustic tracheae or auditory canal in several katydid species. By Charlie Woodrow.
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Charlie has been a dedicated student in the lab. For several months he worked as lab technician taking care of insects colonies and assisting with acoustics and laser recordings. He is interested in various areas of biological research, which he had the chance to explore as an undergraduate student in Lincoln. His curiosity about insect acoustic communication brought him to the lab more than a year ago, as a volunteer, and later as a technician in charge of the insect colonies and experimental setups. During this time, in association with his student fellows Christian and Daniel, he described Speculophlugis hishquten, a highly transparent new genus and species of katydid from the Andes, and a model organism in our ERC. Charlie has just joined the lab as a PhD student, and will be working on various topics of the auditory process in bush cricket, including the non-invasively measure active amplification, and dye loading of anatomical tracers for Ca++ imaging.
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Jacob Duncan
Jacob has joined the lab as a MSc student. He will be measuring morphological asymmetries in the wings of bush-crickets using one of our state-of-the-art imaging technologies, the infinite focus system to accurately map wing surfaces in 3D. He will test the hypothesis that wing asymmetry is related to the quality of the signal produced by males of several species.
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Thomas Dixon
Thomas is measuring singing behaviour and wing resonances in alive males of several species of Ensifera (katydids and crickets), and will test how the wing mechanical properties will change after death and preservation. Tom will use standard acoustic equipment to record the calls of specimens from our colonies, and laser Doppler vibrometry to infer wing resonances in alive and death treatments. |
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Undergraduate student projects
Megan Parkes
Megan is conducting research on earthworm vibrations transmitted through the soil. Her project uses laser Doppler vibrometry to measure soil vibration in transparent containers, testing the hypothesis that body size correlate with the amount of vibrational energy transmitted.
Megan is conducting research on earthworm vibrations transmitted through the soil. Her project uses laser Doppler vibrometry to measure soil vibration in transparent containers, testing the hypothesis that body size correlate with the amount of vibrational energy transmitted.
Fintan McAdam
Fintan project involves directional hearing in the katydid Copiphora gorgonensis. He will use synthesized calls, made from a template of the natural call, and play these calls to females under conditions of a two-speaker trial on a track-ball (treadmill) arena. This system works under the same principle of an old computer mouse, in which the specimen is tethered from the notum, in a fixed position, but place in an air-floating ball (the track-ball system) that provides freedom to walk.
Fintan project involves directional hearing in the katydid Copiphora gorgonensis. He will use synthesized calls, made from a template of the natural call, and play these calls to females under conditions of a two-speaker trial on a track-ball (treadmill) arena. This system works under the same principle of an old computer mouse, in which the specimen is tethered from the notum, in a fixed position, but place in an air-floating ball (the track-ball system) that provides freedom to walk.
