Bee navigating on a custom trackball rig — the air-suspended sphere records turning direction and walking speed during olfactory conditioning

Bombus impatiens left antennal lobe — confocal glomerular stain and 3D segmentation

Community mural at our Bronzeville urban ecology corridor — where we partner with local schools on environmental monitoring

Antennal lobe glomerular segmentation — add caption

Field video — add caption

Yellow jacket on our 3D-printed sphere behavioral arena — painted dots serve as visual landmarks for orientation tracking

Color-tracked spot tracking on the trackball rig — automated trajectory analysis of bee navigation behavior

Inspecting a honeybee comb frame at the IIT rooftop hive — colonies sampled for pesticide and PFAS residue analysis

Field video — add caption

Illinois Institute of Technology · Chicago

Chicago B3 Lab

Brains  ·  Biodiversity  ·  Bees

Welcome! Our research group studies the intersection of brains (behavioral neuroscience within social insects), biodiversity (urban agriculture and ecosystem health) and bees (pollinator health).

Our Research Join the Lab

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Brains

Electrophysiology, imaging, and modeling of neural circuits under stress

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Biodiversity

AI-powered field sensors tracking pollinators and environmental health

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Bees

Bumblebees and honeybees as tractable models for neuroecology

Research Highlights

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Environmental Neurotoxicology

How do PFAS, pesticides, and heavy metals rewire the bee brain? We trace contaminant exposure from the field to individual neurons.

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Serotonin & Sensory Coding

Serotonergic modulation shapes how bees smell, learn, and navigate. We are mapping these pathways under baseline and stressed conditions.

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Conservation Technology

Open-source camera traps, edge AI, and automated tracking platforms (AutoPollS) bring rigorous neuroscience methods into the field.

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Urban Ecology & Justice

Working with Bronzeville community partners to map contamination and its effects on local pollinator health.

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Ecological Networks

How do plant–pollinator networks evolve? Multi-level selection theory connects individual variation to community outcomes.

Latest News

• May 2026 New NIH R21 funded — serotonin modulation and glyphosate exposure in bumblebees. Welcome to the team!
• Apr 2026 AutoPollS v2 deployed at the IIT University Farm prairie restoration site. Live detections streaming.
• Jan 2026 Lab opens at Illinois Institute of Technology. We are recruiting graduate students and undergrads — apply here.

Interested in Pollinators, Brains, or Both?

We welcome applications from students and postdocs with backgrounds in neuroscience, ecology, entomology, computer science, or engineering.

Open Positions →