Stacey A. Combes

Stacey A. Combes is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at the University of California, Davis, and leads the Combes Lab focused on biomechanics and behavioral ecology of flying insects. Her work bridges lab-based biomechanics with field ecology to study insect flight performance in natural environments. She is affiliated with the Center for Neuroscience and graduate groups in Animal Behavior, Entomology, and Neuroscience.

• Ph.D. in Zoology, University of Washington (2002)
• B.A. in Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley (1994)

Research interests include:

• Biomechanics of flexible insect wings
• Flight in complex environments (turbulence, cluttered spaces)
• Behavioral ecology of pollinators and predators
• Impact of wing damage on flight performance

Recent publications analyze trends in insect flight adaptation to turbulence, energetic efficiency under loads, and 3D trajectory tracking. Articles explore sub-fields like pollination mechanics, collision mitigation, and environmental interaction.

Scientific Recognition:

• 2019 Chancellor's Fellow
• NSF CAREER grant recipient

Combes advises graduate students and postdocs, with notable alumni including James Crall (now Assistant Professor at UW Madison) and Nicholas Burnett (2017-2023 postdoc). Her lab develops innovative tools like BEEtags for tracking and DeepLabCut for flight analysis.