Chemical communication is the oldest sensory system and underlies nearly every critical ecological and evolutionary interaction. My research interests are in chemosensory physiology and ecology, which pertains to understanding the influence of chemical signals on ecological interactions, and the neural basis of behavior. From the spatial scale of a sperm cell, to that of a macroorganism, the ability to locate the source of a chemical cue mediates many critical biological processes. Specifically, my research examines the physiological (molecular and neural) basis of behavior by insects and sperm cells, and how the physical-chemical environment shapes the behavioral responses and the sensory systems at these two scales. I ask, how do these chemical cues dictate behavioral interactions in the field, and what are the physiological mechanisms controlling the behavioral strategies used by both animals and single cells? To meet this task, my work seeks to developed new instrumentation and analytical techniques for identifying the structure and concentrations of critical signal molecules while determiing how the olfactory system encodes these signal compounds. Through field and laboratory studies, my research seeks to find the similarities and differences between chemical communication systems and their roles in regulating ecological interactions.