Research in my laboratory centers on the behavioral ecology and sociobiology of insects, primarily ants and termites. Both groups of eusocial insects form complex, integrated societies which are characterized by remarkable forms of cooperation such as the existence of a sterile worker caste and coordinated group foraging and defense. I am interested in the evolution, ecology, and behavioral mechanisms of cooperation in social insects. Current research problems involve the role of pathogens and immunology in termite social biology, the foraging ecology of ants and termites with an emphasis on search behavior and the organization of cooperative foraging, and the evolution and ecology of caste and division of labor in ants and termites. Specific research problems in this area include the adaptiveness of colony demography, and how patterns of division of labor emerge through social interactions.
