Collective Animal Behaviour

Dates

Winter Semester 2020

Instructors

Iain Couzin, Alex Jordan and Damien Farine

About

This is an advanced Master's course (VTK) that will focus on the quantitative analysis of collective animal behavior and how theoretical models lead to predictions about the benefits individuals gain by forming groups.

Introductory lectures will cover key concepts and techniques, including automated tracking of animal movements, social interactions and collective dynamics, social networks and the resulting transmission of socially learned knowledge. Students and faculty will work together to design experiments, and/or analyses of models or existing data, resulting in novel research projects.

Prerequisites

Motivation to learn how to model and analyze collective behaviour. No specific background in biology is necessary.