The neural bases of mosquito-host and flower interactions
Huck Distinguished Lecture Series

  May 20, 2026 @ 03:00 pm to 04:00 pm

  001 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building
  University Park

Abstract:
How female mosquitoes locate their hosts and select which individuals to bite has important consequences for human health. However, little is known about the neural bases of mosquito behavior and how sensory information is integrated in the mosquito brain. To fill these gaps, the Riffell laboratory uses a combination of behavioral, neurogenetic, and electrophysiological approaches to interrogate olfactory and visual circuits that mediate mosquito behaviors. In this presentation, I'll describe our work on how mosquitoes encode complex odors from hosts and nectar sources, and how olfactory and visual information are integrated to enable object localization. This data shows the importance of excitatory-inhibitory balance in the mosquito olfactory system and reveals the role of neuromodulation of the visual system in mediating complex mosquito behaviors.

About the Speaker:
Jeff Riffell is an Endowed Professor in the Biology Department and Graduate Program of Neuroscience at the University of Washington, Seattle (UW). He received his Ph.D. at UCLA and was a Research Associate in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona in John Hildebrand's laboratory. While at UW, he has received several professional honors, including an Endowment for Excellence in Biology, a National Geographic Explorer award, an Innovation Award from the University of Washington, a Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow, an International Society for Neuroethology Investigator Award, and a CoMotion Innovation Fund Award. Over the last 15 years, he has published more than 85 research articles on quantitative behavior, chemical ecology and atmospheric chemistry, and neuroscience.

Contact

  Nikki Crowley
  nzc27@psu.edu