Dr Darron Cullen

Dr Darron Cullen

Lecturer in Biological Sciences

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Science and Engineering
  • School of Natural Sciences

Summary

I investigate the sensory and physiological basis of insect behaviour. I am particularly interested in phenotypic plasticity, which I explore using social and sexual systems in locusts, but I am open to supervision or collaboration on any organism we can get into the lab!

I am co-convenor of the Royal Entomological Society's annual Orthoptera meeting. If you would like to come along, or even present your work, then please do get in touch – students and enthusiasts are particularly welcome.

https://www.royensoc.co.uk/membership-and-community/special-interest-groups/orthoptera/

Bio:

2023- Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Hull

2023- Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society

2019- Visitor, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK

2011-23 Postdoctoral research: University of Cambridge, UK; KU Leuven, Belgium (FWO Fellowship); University of Lincoln, UK

2007-11 PhD Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia

2002-06 BA (Hons) and MSc Biological Sciences, University of Oxford (Wadham College), UK

I am the module convenor for second year (Level 5) Genetic Analysis (500697) at the University of Hull. I also contribute to first year Principles of Genetics.

I am very keen to host undergraduate projects, with a focus on insect behaviour, physiology and genetics. If you have a project in mind then please do get in touch.

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Journal Article

Ear pinnae in a neotropical katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) function as ultrasound guides for bat detection

Pulver, C. A., Celiker, E., Woodrow, C., Geipel, I., Soulsbury, C. D., Cullen, D. A., …Montealegre-Z, F. (2022). Ear pinnae in a neotropical katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) function as ultrasound guides for bat detection. eLife, 11, Article e77628. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.77628

Sexual repurposing of juvenile aposematism in locusts

Cullen, D. A., Sword, G. A., Rosenthal, G. G., Simpson, S. J., Dekempeneer, E., Hertog, M. L., …Broeck, J. V. (2022). Sexual repurposing of juvenile aposematism in locusts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(34), Article e2200759119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2200759119

Extracellular nutrient digestion and absorption in the insect gut

Holtof, M., Lenaerts, C., Cullen, D., & Vanden Broeck, J. (2019). Extracellular nutrient digestion and absorption in the insect gut. Cell and Tissue Research, 377(3), 397-414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-019-03031-9

Born to win or bred to lose: aggressive and submissive behavioural profiles in crickets

Rose, J., Cullen, D. A., Simpson, S. J., & Stevenson, P. A. (2017). Born to win or bred to lose: aggressive and submissive behavioural profiles in crickets. Animal behaviour, 123, 441-450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.021

Take-off speed in jumping mantises depends on body size and a power-limited mechanism

Sutton, G. P., Doroshenko, M., Cullen, D. A., & Burrows, M. (2016). Take-off speed in jumping mantises depends on body size and a power-limited mechanism. The journal of experimental biology, 219(14), 2127-2136. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.133728

Research interests

I investigate the molecular and physiological basis of behaviour, mostly in insects but with broad interests in zoology and natural history. Please get in touch if you're interested in fellowship or PhD projects.

Postgraduate supervision

Animal (especially insect) behaviour, physiology and genetics.

Membership/Fellowship of professional body

Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society

2023

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