Mark Willis

Mark Willis is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University, researching odor-modulated locomotion in insects including the tobacco hornworm moth (Manduca sexta) and American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). His work focuses on how these organisms track odor plumes to locate critical resources through integrated sensory processing.

The Willis laboratory investigates two core research areas: sensory integration during plume tracking (examining how odor, visual, and wind inputs are combined) and flight control mechanisms in moths. Current experiments analyze how environmental factors (wind/odor), antennal morphology, and locomotion characteristics interact during plume tracking, alongside the role of tactile sensors in wing and body movement control during flight maneuvers.

By leveraging natural plume-tracking behavior to activate flight, the lab achieves reliable data collection for studying adaptive flight control across varying tasks and environments. This research provides fundamental insights into sensory-motor integration in biological systems with potential applications in bio-inspired robotics and sensor design.