Iain Couzin elected Fellow of the Royal Society

Royal Society elects behavioural biologist Iain Couzin in recognition of his outstanding contributions to research on animal collectives

To the point

• Professor Iain Couzin has been elected Fellow of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences.
• Iain Couzin FRS is Professor of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour at the University of Konstanz, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, and Speaker of the Cluster of Excellence “Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour” at the University of Konstanz.
• Over 90 outstanding researchers from across the world have this year been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.

How do animal groups, from insect swarms to human societies, coordinate their behaviour and what are the principles and mechanisms underlying collective intelligence? These are key questions of Iain Couzin's research. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the study of collective behaviour, he has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

This life-long honour is bestowed upon the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from across the UK and the Commonwealth, acknowledging their excellence in the field of science. Fellows gain the right to use the letters FRS after their names, and Couzin joins the ranks of some of the most famous names in science history, such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Lise Meitner, Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, Francis Crick, and Stephen Hawking.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome the latest cohort of outstanding researchers into the Fellowship of the Royal Society. Their achievements represent the very best of scientific endeavour, from basic discovery to research with real-world impact across health, technology and policy.”

Upon receiving this prestigious accolade, Iain Couzin said: “I am profoundly honoured to join this distinguished fellowship. This recognition fills me with deep gratitude for all those who have supported me throughout my career and the many exceptional young scientists from whom I’ve had the privilege to learn and collaborate with over the years.”

Studying collective intelligence with cutting-edge technology

Iain Couzin is a pioneer of modern, quantitative behavioural biology, his name being inextricably linked with the study of swarm behaviour and collective intelligence. He is Professor of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour and Speaker of the Cluster of Excellence “Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour” at the University of Konstanz, as well as Director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. His work combines behavioural research with cutting-edge technologies, such as sophisticated tracking methods, AI-assisted software for automated behavioural analyses, and even virtual reality environments for animals.

These innovative methods enable Couzin and his team to observe thousands of individuals simultaneously, analyze the huge amounts of data generated, and ultimately decipher the rules by which the individuals in the collective coordinate their actions – from animals like fish and locusts to humans. His work not only broadens our understanding of animal behaviour, but also has an impact on other areas such as robotics and the social sciences.

Couzin’s publications in high-ranking journals are among the most cited in the world, earning him a place on Clarivate Analytics list of “Global Highly Cited Researchers” six times between 2018 and 2024. He has received multiple prestigious research awards for his work, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Prize in 2022, the Fyssen International Prize in 2024 (shared with Jean-Louis Deneubourg, Free University of Brussels), the Lagrange Prize in 2019, and the Scientific Medal of the Zoological Society of London in 2018.

“I wholeheartedly congratulate Iain Couzin on this extraordinary honour,” says Dirk Leuffen, Vice Rector for Research, Innovation and Impact at the University of Konstanz. “Throughout his career, he has significantly advanced our understanding of the rules that govern the coordinated behaviour of collectives in different animal species. His admission to the Royal Society underscores these enormous scientific breakthroughs and achievements. We are proud that Iain Couzin and his team enrich our research community at the University of Konstanz in so many ways.”

About the Royal Society and its Fellowships

The Royal Society is the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences. Founded in 1660, it is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Describing itself as “a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists”, the Royal Society aims at recognizing, promoting and supporting excellence in science. In total, 95 new members – 70 new Fellows, 24 Foreign Members, and one Honorary Fellow – were announced by the United Kingdom’s national academy of sciences on 20 May 2025.