Andrew Straw is a professor of biology at the University of Freiburg. His research asks the question of how insects see and use visual memories to navigate their world. To do so, his lab also develops novel technologies such as virtual reality for freely moving animals. Using experimental arenas inspired by the holodeck and the Matrix, his lab studies how computations are implemented in the tiny brain of flies and collaborates with others on collective behaviour in groups of animals. Ultimately, such work will lead to a better understanding of helpful and harmful insects such as bees and mosquitoes in addition to providing inspiration for the limits of autonomous vehicles.
