My research interest is understanding of how a brain works; how it processes sensory inputs at single neuron level and generates behavioural outcome in invertebrates despite only carrying a relatively small number of neurons. Specifically, I have been fascinated by the fact that the visual systems have evolved to extract ecologically relevant information, to adapt the specific habitat, and to perform species-specific outstanding behaviour such as pursuing a small moving object in hoverflies.
Currently, I have been working on to reconstruct the view of male hoverflies when they are pursuing a moving target (bead) based on their 3D flight trajectory data provided by Malin. The reconstructed view will contain the information of the target, which projected onto the eye as a small moving object, and the optic flow. I will use it as visual stimuli to record behavioural responses in tethered hoverflies to test whether it elicits the pursuing behaviour. I hope I can share some videos of my experiments next time.