Stephanie Jud

My fascination with insects began during my Bachelor’s thesis when I explored the tiny world of aphids. Since then, I have been captivated by the diversity, resilience, and uniqueness of insects. I also enjoy the innovative and creative aspects of researching them. During my Master’s thesis, I painted color dots on ants to track them using modern video analysis techniques, allowing me to study individual behaviors within colonies. Now, during my PhD, I am excited to study the behavior of our cute and fluffy helpers, the bumblebees.

My current project focuses on bumblebee preferences for different plant species, individual plants, and specific plant parts. In addition to behavioral observations, I film the bees' behavior and investigate the volatile plant cues they might use as a source of information. My favorite part of this research is discovering new and surprising facts about bumblebees, and I hope to inspire others by showing just how amazing these tiny creatures are.

After a rewarding day of research, I’m lucky to go home to my tail-wagging and excited puppy, Winnie 🐶. You can often spot us riding through Zurich on my Vespa —me in the front and her in the back, wearing goggles and enjoying the wind in her fur (@winnie_the_poots). Most of the time, we’re headed to the dog park to make new canine friends, or we’re on the lookout for new spots to sniff out tasty truffles.