Welcome to the Collective Lab @ University of Massachusetts Boston!

Housed in the Biology Department, we are fascinated by animal groups of all types, and all of the emergent behaviors that they exhibit. We’re especially interested in collective decision-making, or how group-living animals are able to reach a consensus about where to go, what to do, and when to do it.

To gain insight into these complex systems, we use a combination of computational simulations (which gives us testable predictions), lab experiments (which lets us carefully test these predictions), and fieldwork (which lets us study animal groups in their natural context).

We are actively looking for new lab members! Please feel free to reach out to discuss possibilities.