PhD: How taste is encoded in the brain of caterpillars & butterflies

This PhD project at the Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University & Research, deciphers the neuronal code that specialist caterpillars and butterflies use to recognise host plants by taste, in the context of insect-plant coevolution. Using cabbage white butterflies (Pieris spp.), which lay eggs on glucosinolate-containing plants but mostly avoid cardenolides, the candidate asks how the brain integrates stimulating and deterrent chemical signals and why larvae and adults of the same species prefer different cues. Methods include intra- and extracellular electrophysiology in the suboesophageal ganglion and confocal imaging with computer reconstruction of neuronal networks. The group is led by Prof. Bregje Wertheim, with co-supervision by Dr. Alexander Haverkamp.

Applications are accepted up to and including 29 November 2026.

Completed MSc or equivalent in biology, neurobiology or a related field; affinity with butterflies and caterpillars, ideally with a background in plant-insect interactions; electrophysiology experience, especially in the insect brain, is desirable.