Anna Dornhaus

Anna Dornhaus is a Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on understanding how collective behaviors emerge in social insect colonies (e.g., bees, ants) through mechanisms like task allocation, foraging strategies, and communication. She employs experimental and computational approaches to study decision-making, division of labor, and organizational principles in insect societies.

Education: Ph.D. in Zoology (2002) and M.S. in Biology (1999), both from the University of Würzburg. Prior to her current role, she held positions including Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol (2002-2005) and Associate Researcher at the University of Würzburg’s Department of Artificial Intelligence (2002).

Research Interests: Mechanisms of coordination in social insects, collective decision-making, task allocation, and the role of communication in foraging. Her work explores how environmental factors shape organizational strategies in colonies, including nest architecture, resource defense, and behavioral syndromes.

• Recent work emphasizes spatial organization in ants, including how nest geometry influences colony behavior and the efficiency of collective search.
• Publications span topics from ant task-switching costs to pollinator behavior and interdisciplinary methods in tracking insect movement.

Awards: ‘Local Genius’ award from the Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art (recognizing innovative contributions to science communication).

Her research integrates field observations with lab experiments and mathematical modeling, addressing questions about the evolution of social organization and the adaptive benefits of behavioral diversity within colonies.