Development and function of neural circuits underlying collective behaviour

About the project

About the Project A 2027 Crick PhD project with Michael Winding. Project background and description Collective behaviour is observed across the animal kingdom, from fish schools to insect foraging groups. Such behaviours allow animals to pool effort, reduce risk, and increase fitness. But they also increase competition and deplete food locally, suggesting that animals must compare the pros and cons of joining a collective. How these computations occur in the brain and the neural circuitry underlying them is poorly understood. Our group uses the larva of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to approach these questions. We previously reconstructed the entire circuitry of this animal’s brain using volume electron microscopy [1] and linked individual neurons from this connectome to genetic tools allowing us to manipulate or record their activity [2]. Fly larvae engage in collective digging to access deeper food than they would be able to do individually, a process that requires past social experience [3]. We have recently performed a large-scale inactivation screen and identified the core circuitry controlling this collective digging behaviour. However, it remains unclear what computations these circuits perform and how they are modified by social experience. For this PhD project, possible projects include: 1) Uncovering the circuit mechanisms driving collective digging in larvae. This project would start with previously identified neurons, use connectomics to determine how they are interconnected, and generate hypotheses about how sensory information, internal state, and bilateral signals are integrated within the circuit to control collective digging. These hypotheses would then be tested by activating or silencing specific neurons during behavioural assays, measuring neural activity with calcium imaging, and building models of how circuit connectivity gives rise to collective behaviour. 2) Determining how circuits are shaped by social experience during development. This would involve linking molecular and developmental cell-type information from single-cell RNA sequencing datasets to the connectome, using expansion microscopy techniques such as LICONN [4]. This approach would help identify how specific neurons and circuit motifs are modified by experience and then go on to test the functional role of these modifications with follow-up optogenetic and functional imaging experiments. The candidate will join a diverse and supportive group of scientists and will benefit from the extensive resources, training opportunities, and Science Technology Platforms (STPs) available at the Crick. Candidate background This project would suit a candidate with a strong interest in neuroscience, development, or collective behaviour. The project will involve computational analysis, so experience with coding, particularly in Python, would be valuable. However, a motivated candidate would be able to develop these skills during the PhD. The project is experimentally grounded, and the candidate should be excited to test circuit hypotheses directly using behavioural assays, anatomical analysis, and functional imaging, rather than relying on modelling alone. Prior experience with these specific techniques is not expected, although candidates are expected to have prior laboratory experience. Lab-specific question How do your past experiences and interests make you a good fit for this project?

Research areas