Research into the neural basis of zebrafish behaviour that began at U of T Scarborough in 2015 has been bolstered by additional funding thanks to an award from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP).
The HSFP’s Young Investigators Grant is designed to fund ambitious research projects carried out by scientists collaborating across borders. Assistant Professor Tod Thiele of the Department of Biological Sciences was announced as a recipient of the award on Wednesday, March 28.
Along with his colleagues Emily Cooper (Dartmouth College, USA), Scott Juntti (University of Maryland, USA) and Aristides Arrenberg (University of Tübingen, Germany), Thiele will begin to investigate how natural underwater visual scenes are processed by the brains of zebrafish and African cichlids.
The team will use a variety of research techniques including underwater videography in India and Zambia, behavioural analyses and brain activity imaging. The approach will provide a novel neuro-ecological perspective on how vertebrate visual brain areas have evolved to encode and adapt to the natural world.