Brett Aiello

Brett Aiello is an Assistant Professor of Biology specializing in organismal comparative anatomy and physiology. His research focuses on comparative neuromechanics, studying neural and mechanical processes underlying animal movement in moths and fishes. He earned a B.A. in Zoology from Miami University (2009), an M.S. in Biological Sciences from Youngstown State University (2012), and a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of Chicago (2017). Aiello completed postdoctoral work at Georgia Tech before joining his current institution. His work bridges evolutionary physiology, biomechanics, and robophysics, with a focus on insect flight modes and tetrapod adaptations to land life.

Research interests include the evolution of flight strategies in moths, sensory feedback mechanisms in fish locomotion, and neuromechanical adaptations in terrestrial and aquatic species. His findings span interdisciplinary journals like Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Aiello has received an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology (2019–2021). He has mentored numerous undergraduate researchers, including Bhinderwala, Minoguchi, and Hamilton. His contributions span academic service, including symposium leadership on sensory feedback in animal movement and biorobotics.

Key research themes include: 1) Mechanosensory roles in fin and wing structures, 2) Evolutionary links between blinking and terrestrial life, and 3) Morphological adaptations for flight across insect groups. His work emphasizes functional morphology across scales, integrating organismal design with ecological performance.