Our research focuses on understanding collective behavior; how large-scale biological patterns result from the actions and interactions of the individual components of a system. We study self-organised pattern formation in a wide range of biological systems, including ants, fish schools, bird flocks, locust / cricket swarms and human crowds.

Areas of particular interest include:

• Collective decision-making in groups.

• Creating computer models (mostly individual-based) to elucidate the relationship between biological pattern forming processes over a range of spatial and temporal scales.

• The spread, and use, of information in animal populations (information transmission across dynamic networks; social learning).

• How the movement of, and interactions among, individuals produces the dynamics of the population they make up.

• Developing computer vision software to record and analyse the movement and behaviour of a large number (hundreds) of organisms (e.g. insects, fish) concurrently.

• Applying biologically-inspired algorithms to technological applications.

Recent news 

Mohammed Dahleh Award 2009

Searle Scholar Award 2008 Princeton News

Computer game of our cannibal locusts!  here

New Scientist Feature Article The Hunger, the Horror

New York Times Feature Article From ants to people, an instict to swarm 

BBC News Cannibalism Drives Locust Swarms

Der Spiegel Feature Article Schlauer im Swarm

Edge.org Ants have algorithms

Science Perspectives: locust marching bands.

Science Special Section: movement ecology.

Nature News and Views: cannibal crickets.

Science Editor's Choice: army ant traffic organisation.

Selected recent publications

Yates, C.A.,  Erban, R., Escudero, C., Couzin, I.D., Buhl, J., Kevrekidis, I.G., Maini, P.K. & Sumpter, D.J.T. (2009) Inherent noise can facilitate coherence in collective swarm motion, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106(14), 5464-5469.

Couzin, I.D.  (2009) Collective cognition in animal groups, Trends in Cogntive Sciences 13(1), 36-43.

Romanczuk, P., Couzin, I.D. & Schimansky-Geier, L. (2009) Collective motion of animal groups due to escape and pursuit behavior. Physical Review Letters 102, 010602.

Sumpter, D.J.T., Krause, J., James, R., Couzin, I.D. & Ward, A. (2008) Consensus decision-making by fish, Current Biology 18(22), 1773-1777.

Bazazi, S, Buhl, J., Hale, J.J., Anstey, M.L., Sword, G.A., Simpson, S.J. & Couzin, I.D. (2008) Collective motion and cannibalism in locust marching bands, Current Biology 18(10), 735-739.

Ward, A.J., Sumpter, D.J.T., Couzin, I.D., Hart, P.J.B. & Krause, J. (2008) Quorum decision-making facilitates information transfer in fish shoals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 105(19), 6948-6953.  

Couzin, I.D. (2007) Collective minds Nature 445, 715.

Buhl, J., Sumpter, D.J., Couzin, I.D., Hale, J., Despland, E, Miller, E & Simpson, S.J. (2006) From disorder to order in marching locusts. Science 312, 1402-1406.

Simpson, S.J., Sword A.G., Lorch, P.D & Couzin, I.D. (2006) Cannibal crickets on a forced march for protein and salt Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 103, 4152-4156.

Couzin, I.D. (2006) Behavioral ecology: social organization in fission-fusion societies Current Biology 16, 169-171.

Couzin, I.D., Krause, J., Franks, N.R. & Levin, S.A.(2005) Effective leadership and decision making in animal groups on the move Nature 433, 513-516.

Wrege, P., Wikelski, M., Mandel., J.T., Rassweiller, T. & Couzin, I.D. (2005) Antbirds parasitize foraging army ants Ecology 86, 555-559.

Couzin, I.D. & Franks, N.R.(2003) Self-organized lane formation and optimized traffic flow in army ants Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 270, 139-146.

Couzin, I.D. & Krause, J. (2003) Self-organization and collective behavior of vertebrates Advances in the Study of Behavior 32, 1-75.

Couzin, I.D., Krause, J., James, R., Ruxton, G.D. & Franks, N.R. (2002) Collective memory and spatial sorting in animal groups Journal of Theoretical Biology 218, 1-11.

Full publication list