Research Interests:

I work in the field of animal movement ecology with a focus on multisensory navigation and visual guidance. I am using my background in mathematics, dynamic systems theory and computer science to develop new analytical methods to analyse the influence of various sensory modalities, like visual cues and their involvement in visual guidance, as well as magnetic, infrasound and olfactory cues and their involvement in navigation. I am also interested in other aspects of flight including migration, flight aerodynamics and kinematics, group dynamics in flight.

Projects:

NavMap

NavMap will apply novel analytical techniques in combination with experimental manipulation of navigational factors to investigate the cues with which pigeons navigate. According to our current understanding pigeons appear to navigate using a two step process - utilizing a map and a compass. In the past, experiments produced conflicting reports on effects of individual experimental treatments when attempting to investigate specific sensory cues. If anything these past experiments hint at a rather complex system involving multiple redundant cues. Recent developments in mathematical analysis of GPS tracks have not only provided direct evidence for this, but have also produced new methods, that allow a direct look at the underlying mechanisms of the navigational process. In this project we plan to combine these new methods, with experimental treatments to investigate in detail the involvement of individual sensory modalities in the pigeon's navigational process. Want to know more?

Visual Guidance and Colission Avoidance in Birds

I am an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland and together with scientists at QBI [Prof. Mandyam V. Srinivasan] and the Queensland University of Technology [Prof. Tristan Perez] I am investigating the ability of birds to avoid mid air collisions, when facing incoming obstacles or other birds, as well as general principles of visual guidance. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of how birds manage to avoid such collisions and derive simple rules for collision avoidance that would enhance the safety of commercial air travel and inform the development of guidance systems for unmaned aerial vehicles. Want to know more?

ATLAS System

Together with scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem [Prof. Ran Nathan] and Tel Aviv University [Prof. Sivan Toledo] I am working on the ATLAS project (Advanced Tracking and Localization of Animals in real-life Systems). I am partly working on improving usabilty of the system, providing webapplications for managing data and real-time monitoring of the system, but also provide analytical tools and filters for specific projects involving a variety of species of animals. Want to know more?