Brian R. Johnson – PI
I am broadly interested in Animal Behavior, Evolution, Theoretical Biology, and Genomics. To date, my research has used a combination of experiments, simulation models, and computational biology to explore the evolution of advanced sociality, mechanisms of social organization, and self-organization. Chief amongst my results are that novel genes (orphans) are important for eusocial evolution and task allocation can work via a self organizing coupled localization diffusion process. I have also shown that colony fitness is often maximized when selection couples self-organization with other mechanisms, such as templates and recipes. In addition, I have written forward thinking conceptual syntheses on the evolution of the superorganism phenotype and division of labor.
Postdocs
As of 2021 I am a postdoctoral human in Davis, California. My primary academic research, with Prof. Brian Johnson (UCD) and Prof. Tim Linksvayer (Texas Tech), is related to distributed physiology and evolutionary genomics in the eusocial insects. With groups such as COGSEC I am also researching cognitive security and online communities of practice. I am involved in Complexity Science through Complexity Weekend, and previously, the Stanford Complexity Group. Two areas where I consult in are remote work (Remotor Consulting Group) and predictive asset modeling (FM Analytics).
In 2019 I completed my Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution at Stanford University, studying the neurophysiology of collective behavior in ants with Prof. Deborah Gordon. While an undergraduate at UC Davis, I worked on Drosophila genetics with Prof. Artyom Kopp.
Graduate Students
Adrian is a PhD candidate in the Animal Behavior graduate group. He is broadly interested in social behavior, social organization, and social immunity. His research focuses on how large animal groups can use both individual and collective behavioral defenses against the various pathogens that target them. Specifically, he studies honey bee colonies using social network methods and worked on hygienic behavior earlier on in his PhD research.
Nicole is a PhD student in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group. She is broadly interested in eusociality, host-microbe symbiosis, and social behavior. Her research focuses on exploring the relationship between termites and their gut microbiome in the context of termite social hygienic behaviors such as allogrooming and cannibalism. Using genetic sequencing, she will investigate this symbiotic relationship and identify endosymbionts with overlapping roles in termite nutrition.
Marshall is a PhD student in the Entomology program. His general interests include eusociality, the division of labor in social insects, and how genetics and the environment interact to determine phenotype
Past Members
Johnson Lab at UC Davis 