I started my PhD studies at Stockholm University in 2019. In my PhD project, I will be focussing on the sensory biology of different pollinator groups and to link this to their natural foraging behaviour. To do this, I will use a comparative approach (comparing between individuals, species and taxa) and employ a range of techniques, including morphological analyses using micro computed-tomorgraphy, behavioural experiments and physiological measurements in the lab and in the field. I will focus my study on different species of bumblebee and butterfly that vary in their foraging and habitat specialisations to explore how the sensory and neural system may affect or limit foraging behaviour. Ultimately, my results will help us to better understand the role of sensory information in pollinator behaviour and to predict the vulnerability of different species to habitat change.

I grew up in Iran and there I received my bachelor degree in Natural Resources Engineering from the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. I then awarded a full scholarship to study a Master’s Program at Linköping University where I received my degree in Applied Ethology and Animal Biology. For my master thesis I investigated the effect of habitat factors on the movement patterns of butterflies. Since completing my Masters, I have worked as a research assistant in different projects, ranging from a study on the cooperative breeding of mole-rats in South Africa run by Cambridge University to investigating the effect of differences in immune function on the behaviour of moths at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Alnarp.