Arka Pal
I am a recent masters graduate, about to start my PhD at IST Austria. My primary background is evolutionary biology. Currently, I am studying how flies compute visual information to navigate. In particular, I am investigating the behavioural repertoire of lobula plate tangential cells which are known to process optic flow information in the fly brain. In order to do this, I use multitude of techniques ranging from optogenetics to behavioural assays and post-hoc mathematical tools to analyse how these neurons govern locomotory behaviour in flies. In future for my PhD, I would like to combine evolutionary and developmental approaches to understand neuronal basis of behaviour.