Year of Honorary Fellowship, 2026
Lars Chittka is a German zoologist, ecologist and internationally recognised authority on insect cognition, sensory systems and behaviour. His pioneering research has transformed understanding of how insects perceive, learn and interact with the world around them, using insect–flower relationships as a key model for studying the evolution of cognition and communication.
Professor Chittka studied Biology at the University of Göttingen and the Free University of Berlin, where he later completed his PhD. He is currently Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology at Queen Mary University of London and founder of its Research Centre for Psychology.
Over the course of his distinguished career, Professor Chittka has received numerous honours recognising his contributions to behavioural ecology and insect science, including the prestigious Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. He is also a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Academia Europaea, and an elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, the Royal Society of Biology and the Royal Entomological Society.
Professor Chittka joined the Royal Entomological Society in 2004 and was awarded the Society’s Lesley Goodman Award in 2006 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to entomology. His work has helped bridge the fields of neuroscience, ecology and animal behaviour, bringing global attention to the remarkable intelligence and sensory abilities of insects, particularly bees.
Alongside his research, Professor Chittka has held influential editorial and leadership roles across the scientific community. He has served as an Editor of PLoS Biology since 2004, was previously on the Editorial Boards of Proceedings of the Royal Society B and Quarterly Review of Biology, and contributed as a Panel Chairman for the European Research Council. He is also the author of the book “The Mind of a Bee” (translated into 13 languages), has released the music album “Strange Flowers” (on Bandcamp) with lyrics dedicated to, and inspired by, the world of bees, and won Best Actor award for his role in the film “The Last Bee” by director Osseily Hanna at the Amsterdam New Cinema Festival.
His work continues to inspire new understanding of insect behaviour and cognition, challenging assumptions about the capabilities of small-brained animals and highlighting the sophistication of the insect world.
