Sensory ecology
An international course for postgraduate students
Now in its third decade, the international postgraduate course Sensory Ecology runs for two weeks and is limited to 40 participants. The course is held every second year in late September and early October. The world's leading authorities in sensory ecology are invited to Lund to deliver an outstanding program of lectures covering all animal senses. The 2026 course is now open for applications.
The senses of animals are essential for every aspect of daily life. Whether detecting a mate or a prey, escaping the attentions of a predator or simply monitoring the surrounding habitat, an animal’s senses are critical to its survival.
To respond to the opportunities and dangers of the world quickly and effectively, each species must possess a sensory system that is uniquely optimised to its particular ecology. This "sensory ecology" has driven the remarkable range of sensory systems we find in Nature today.
Course contents
In this course, you will learn how senses have evolved, how they function, and the differences and similarities between species. The course consists of lectures and includes poster sessions where you can discuss your own research. Have a look at the latest schedule for more information about the contents of the course.
Completion of the course renders 6 ECTS.
Time-period
The next course will take place from 21 September to 3 October 2026.
Course fee
Unfortunately, due to the worsened financial climate, the course is no longer subsidised, and we are forced to raise the course fee significantly. In 2026 the course fee will be 19 000 SEK.
How to apply
You apply for the course by filling in the application form. Part of the course includes a poster presentation about your work. Your intended poster title should be included in the appropriate place on the application form.
In addition, an abstract of your poster presentation should also reach us by 15 August 2026. Send it electronically to the e-mail address Sensory [dot] Ecology [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se.
Instructions for preparing abstracts
The paper should be oriented vertically. The block of text must be 17 cm from left to right and no more than 25 cm from top to bottom. Both A4-size and US Letter size paper can thus be used, as long as the block of the text remains at the specified size. Please place the text block 2 cm from the left and top edges of the page.
Abstracts must be written in English. Each abstract must contain only one page. We strongly recommend including a black-and-white figure. There are no restrictions on the use of graphics and mathematical or chemical formulae. If you use colour, please note that it will be reproduced in grey scales in the abstract booklet.
Please use the following font and sizes
- Font – Times or Times New Roman
- Title – 16 pt
- Author's name(s) – 14 pt
- Address including e-mail – 12 pt
- Text – 12 pt
Literature citations should be given in short form. Preferably send your abstract as a PDF file. If for some reason this is not possible, send your abstract as a Word file.
Payment of the course fee
We are forced to charge a fee to offset the large costs of running the course. As mentioned above, in 2026 the course fee will be 19 000 SEK. This should be paid by credit card (luccp.adm.lu.se).
According to Swedish law, it is not permitted for you as an individual PhD student to pay the course fee from your own pockets. In order to ensure that Swedish law is upheld, it is now required that your university signs an Agreement where it guarantees that you will not pay the course fee yourself and that the fee will instead be paid by your institution. Students from Lund University need not sign an agreement as their supervisors will be internally invoiced. Please note, this agreement is only relevant for the course fee – the costs of travel and accommodation can be paid from any source.
You need to fill out the Agreement Form (docx; 103 kB; download) and have it signed by your Head of department. Text which is coloured blue on the form needs to be filled out by you (or someone at your university). On the second page of the form, there is space for up to 3 students from the same university to fill in their details. In other words, we only require one signed form per university.
Once the form has been filled in and signed by your head of department, the form should be scanned and sent back to us by email as a PDF document (email to Sensory [dot] Ecology [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se).
Please pay the course fee, and send us your Agreement Form, by 15 August in the year of the course.
Contact information
All inquiries should be directed to the following address Sensory [dot] Ecology [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se.
Course leaders
Eric Warrant
Professor
Phone: +46 46 222 93 41
Email: Eric [dot] Warrant [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
Marie Dacke
Professor
Phone: +46 46 222 93 36
Email: Marie [dot] Dacke [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
Find your way to Lund
Learn more about life in Sweden and how to reach Lund.
Schedule 2026
Schedule week 1 (Red Room, Ecology Building)
17.00–20.00 Registration
09.30 Coffee, Registration
10.00 Welcome (EW, MD, BH, CL)
10.30 What is sensory ecology? (EW)
12.00 Lunch
13.00 Poster session 1: Even numbers
15.00 Afternoon tea
15.30 Poster session 2: Uneven numbers
17.30 Ice breaker: Pizza, beer and games
09.00 Introductory lecture: Mechanoreception (JA)
10.30 Morning tea
11.00 Mechanoreception (JT)
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Poster session 3: Posters 1-20
15.30 Afternoon tea
16.00 Poster session 4: Posters 21-40
09.00 Neuroethology of the fish lateral line (JM)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 Introductory lecture. How Nature designs ears (NM)
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Mechanoreception discussion
15.00 Afternoon tea
15.30 Poster session 5: Posters 1-20
16.30 Poster session 6: Posters 21-40
09.00 Acoustic imaging by echolocation in bats (CM)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 Ecological constraints for sound communication (HR)
13.30 Lunch
15.00 1. A case of convergence: the mammalian-like auditory organ of a bushcricket (DR)
2. The sense of electroreception in bees and spiders, a case for electric ecology (DR)
09.00 Hearing and echolocation in whales and dolphins (PM)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 Seismic neuroethology in vertebrates: mechanisms and behaviour (PN)
13.30 Lunch
14.30 Poster session 7: Posters 1-20
15.30 Poster session 8: Posters 21-40
16.30 Afternoon tea and Hearing discussion
09.00 Introductory lecture. An introduction to the olfactory system (MS)
10.30 Morning tea
11.00 Locust olfaction targeted – Building a new model (BH)
13.00 Lunch
14.30 Exploring the sensory ecology of tube-nosed seabirds: the use of olfaction in foraging, navigation and individual recognition (GN)
Schedule week 2 (Red Room, Ecology Building)
Free day
09.00 Olfaction in insects (MA)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 The sense of taste in vertebrates (MB)
13.00 Lunch
15.00 Olfaction in context (RR)
17.00 Afternoon tea and Olfaction discussion
09.00 Introductory lecture. Light, habitat and eye design (DOC)
10.00 Morning tea and Guesthouse Payments
11.30 Lunch
12.30 Visual orientation and navigation in insects (MD & SH)
14.00 Afternoon tea
14.30 Hide and seek in the sea: invisible, coloured and glowing animals (SJ)
16.30 Poster session 9: Posters 1-20
17.30 Poster session 10: Posters 21-40
09.00 Vision at the limits (EW)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 The evolution of vision (DN)
13.30 Lunch
15.00 Ecology of colour and polarisation vision (MBo)
17.00 Afternoon tea and vision discussion
09.00 Multisensory information processing for fly flight (JF)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 Long-distance migration and navigation (SÅ)
13.30 Lunch
15.00 Research Lecture: The Lund Wind Tunnel, with a tour of the facility (AH)
09.00 Magnetic navigation and geomagnetic imprinting in marine animals (KL)
11.00 Morning tea
11.30 The biology of magnetoreception in birds (DK)
13.30 Lunch
14.30 Electrically ‘lighting’ up the dark: Sensory adaptations of weakly electric fish (GE)
16.30 Sixth senses discussion
09.00 Sensory Ecology discussion and course evaluation
11.00 Morning tea
11.30– Lunch and free time
Lecturers
- JA Jörg Albert, University of Oldenburg, Germany joerg [dot] albert [at] uni-oldenburg [dot] de
- MA Martin Andersson, University of Lund, Sweden martin [dot] andersson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- MB Maude Baldwin, Max Planck Ornithology, Germany mbaldwin [at] orn [dot] mpg [dot] de
- MBo Mike Bok, University of Lund, Sweden mikebok [at] gmail [dot] com
- MD Marie Dacke, University of Lund, Sweden marie [dot] dacke [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- JF Jessica Fox, Case Western Reserve University, USA jlf88 [at] case [dot] edu
- BH Bill Hansson, Max Planck Chemical Ecology, Germany hansson [at] ice [dot] mpg [dot] de
- AH Anders Hedenström, University of Lund, Sweden anders [dot] hedenstrom [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- SH Stanley Heinze, University of Lund, Sweden Stanley [dot] Heinze [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- SJ Sönke Johnsen, Duke University, USA sjohnsen [at] duke [dot] edu
- KL Kenneth Lohmann, University of North Carolina, USA KLohmann [at] email [dot] unc [dot] edu
- DK David Keays, University of Munich, Germany keays [at] biologie [dot] uni-muenchen [dot] de
- PM Peter Madsen, Aarhus University, Denmark peter [dot] madsen [at] bio [dot] au [dot] dk
- NM Natasha Mhatre, University of Western Ontario, Canada nmhatre [at] uwo [dot] ca
- JM Joachim Mogdans, University of Bonn, Germany mogdans [at] uni-bonn [dot] de
- CM Cynthia Moss, Johns Hopkins University, USA cynthia [dot] moss [at] gmail [dot] com
- GN Gabrielle Nevitt, UC Davis, USA ganevitt [at] ucdavis [dot] edu
- PN Peter Narins, UCLA, USA pnarins [at] ucla [dot] edu
- DN Dan-Eric Nilsson, University of Lund, Sweden dan-e [dot] nilsson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- DO David O’Carroll, University of Lund, Sweden david [dot] o_carroll [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- RR Rob Raguso, Cornell University, USA rar229 [at] cornell [dot] edu
- DR Daniel Robert, University of Bristol, UK D [dot] Robert [at] bristol [dot] ac [dot] uk
- HR Heiner Römer, University of Graz, Austria heinrich [dot] roemer [at] uni-graz [dot] at
- MS Marcus Stensmyr, University of Lund, Sweden marcus [dot] Stensmyr [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- JT John Tuthill, University of Washington, USA tuthill [at] uw [dot] edu
- GE Gerhard von der Emde, University of Bonn, Germany vonderemde [at] uni-bonn [dot] de
- EW Eric Warrant, University of Lund, Sweden eric [dot] warrant [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
- SÅ Susanne Åkesson, University of Lund, Sweden susanne [dot] akesson [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se
