NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

Kikuchi David W, Carrboro NC

Investigators

Abstract

This Postdoctoral Research Fellowship award to Dr. David Kikuchi is supported by both the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Office of International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation. During the 24-month fellowship, Dr. Kikuchi will work on a project titled, "Optimal learning and the evolution of Batesian mimicry" under the sponsorship of Prof. Thomas Sherratt at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and Prof. Johanna Mappes at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The goal of this project is to evaluate how the costs of acquiring information about an animal's environment influence its behavior. Currently, little is known about this process because most theories assume that animals have perfect knowledge of their environments (or at least cannot improve their information). New models of optimal animal foraging behavior will be built using computer simulations. Those models will then be tested in a "novel world" environment where wild birds learn about prey that they have never encountered before. This work is important because learning is a universal problem that animals face; it can be an expensive process, and a better understanding is needed of how the value of information dictates how much is learned. Dr. Kikuchi will work with undergraduate students who will be trained with both computer simulations and field work. This project will also foster international collaboration between Carleton University and the Center of Excellence in Biological Interactions in Jyväskylä. Results of this work will be presented to the public, during events such as Darwin Day, or in ScienceNOW that has previously highlighted Dr. Kikuchi's work. This award provides a unique opportunity for a US scientist to collaborate with foreign scientists, and utilize the unique facilities, expertise and experimental conditions available abroad.