How do genes make an ant society?

Centre of the Cell’s Big Question Lectures are brought to you by top scientists at Queen Mary, in partnership with Centre of the Cell and co-created with young people from our Youth Membership Scheme. They give audiences from age 14 the chance to hear from leaders in science and healthcare about the cutting-edge biology and innovative front-line medicine going on right here in east London.

Want to find out about the work that goes on in the Wurm lab and learn more about the genetics and evolution of insect societies? Prof. Yannick Wurm will be answering these questions and more in his free Big Question lecture.

Prof. Yannick Wurm is a Professor in Evolutionary Genomics & Bioinformatics at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Prof. Wurm obtained his first degree in bioinformatics and modelling from the French National Institute of Applied Sciences, before going on to receive a PhD in Life Sciences at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Prof. Wurm’s research interests now include looking at the genetics and evolution of social behaviour in insects, and developing modern tools for measuring and improving the health of pollinators.

Prof. Wurm has delivered talks on a broad range of topics including evolutionary biology, and the opportunities that high-resolution molecular approaches offer for understanding the world around us.