Dr. Helder Hugo

Dr Helder Hugo is a behavioural ecologist interested in how animal groups form, function, and evolve. His recent postdoctoral research focused on uncovering the mechanisms of collective regulation and decision-making in social insect colonies, using advanced computational methods to automatically track behaviour, social fluid exchange, and larval growth. During his PhD at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, he investigated the mechanisms underlying collective behaviour in complex insect societies, using Neotropical termites as a model system. He holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Konstanz, an MSc in Entomology from the Federal University of Viçosa, and a BSc and Licenciatura in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais. His academic training spans both theoretical and practical aspects of arthropod taxonomy and ecology, integrated pest management, biological control, and the behavioural ecology of social organisms. He is also a scientific illustrator and has led practical workshops on biological illustration using a variety of techniques. a better grasp of the field of collective animal behaviour, he is determined to develop a more comprehensive understanding of species coexistence across animal groups.