Contact Chemosensation and Neural Control of Internal States in Drosophila melanogaster
Cambrain
October 2025, Cambridge, UK
Research
I study how sensory inputs are transformed into persistent internal states that drive context-appropriate behaviour.
Current: Internal States in Drosophila
My PhD investigates how contact chemosensation induces internal states in male Drosophila melanogaster. When a male fly touches another fly, pheromone cues trigger either courtship (female) or aggression (male), yet both behaviours share underlying neural circuitry through P1 neurons. I'm dissecting how the brain distinguishes these contexts and selects appropriate behavioural outputs. I combine connectomics (using the male CNS connectome), behavioural assays with optogenetic manipulation, and two-photon calcium imaging to map the circuit from sensory input to motor output.
Previous: Neural basis of evidence integration in larval zebrafish
During my MSc, I studied the motion evidence integrator circuit in larval zebrafish: a neural system that accumulates noisy visual information to drive swim decisions. Using functionally-guided photoactivation combined with RNA in situ hybridization, I mapped the morphology and neurotransmitter identity of circuit components, establishing a structure-to-function relationship validated against electron microscopy reconstructions. This work culminated in a co-first author paper combining CLEM with functional imaging to reveal the circuit architecture underlying evidence accumulation.
Approach
My scientific path started with a childhood fascination for fish and programming, two interests that seemed unrelated until I found myself studying how neural circuits compute behaviour. From cichlid social dynamics at Lake Tanganyika to motion integration in zebrafish to internal states in flies, I've been drawn to understanding how brains implement computations that transform sensory inputs into adaptive actions. I combine connectomics with functional imaging and behavioural experiments, always looking for the link between circuit structure and the computations it performs.
Publications
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Talks & Posters
Dissection of a neuronal integrator circuit through functionally guided photoactivations and neurotransmitter identifications
FENS Forum 2024
June 2024, Vienna, Austria
Dissection of a neuronal integrator circuit through functionally guided photoactivations and neurotransmitter identifications
Zebrafish Neurobiology Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
November 2023, NY, USA
Dissection of a neuronal integrator circuit through correlated light and electron microscopy in the larval zebrafish
Society for Neuroscience Meeting
November 2023, Chicago, USA
Connecting cell functionality to cell morphology through light microscopy
NeuroTuscany: Circuits and Behaviour
June 2023, Montecastelli, Italy
CV
Fellowships & Funding
2025–2028
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowship
Competitive fellowship for outstanding junior scientists in basic biomedical research (<10% acceptance)
2024–2028
MRC Studentship
Fully-funded PhD studentship at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Research Experience
2024–present
PhD Researcher, Jefferis Lab
MRC-LMB, Cambridge
Connectome analysis, 2-photon microscopy, VR behaviour setups
2021–2024
Research Assistant, Bahl Lab
University of Konstanz
Functional imaging, CLEM, zebrafish neural circuits
2021
2018–2019
Research Assistant, Jordan Lab
University of Konstanz
Social behaviour in cichlids, experimental design
Education
2024–present
PhD, Biological Sciences
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge
Jefferis Lab. Contact chemosensation and neural control of internal states in Drosophila
2021–2024
MSc, Biological Sciences
University of Konstanz, Germany
Bahl Lab. Mapping functional dynamics and neuronal structure in a hindbrain neural integrator circuit
2017–2021
BSc, Biological Sciences
University of Konstanz, Germany
Jordan Lab. Evaluating the effect of simulated predation on contest behaviour in cichlids