| 1 | Name: | Dr. Rüdiger Wehner | |
| Institution: | University of Zürich | ||
| Year Elected: | 1993 | ||
| Class: | 2. Biological Sciences | ||
| Subdivision: | 208. Plant Sciences | ||
| Residency: | International | ||
| Living? : | Living | ||
| Birth Date: | 1940 | ||
Rudiger Wehner is among the best scientists in Switzerland in the fields of animal behavior and behavioral ecology as well as in sensory physiology and the neurobiology of vision. A pioneer who unraveled the mechanisms of polarized light vision and celestial navigation in insects (ants and bees), including landmark orientations, he also succeeded in describing in detail the celestial compass and found an intellectual short cut to the insect brain. More recently Dr. Wehner turned his interests to ecological constraints and orientation in extreme desert habitats. Among his main contributions to zoology in general is his very valuable book Zoologie (with W. Gehring) that demonstrates Dr. Wehner's broad knowledge of the field. A former student of Martin Lindauer, Dr. Wehner is currently a professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Zurich, where he has been a full professor since 1974. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Frankfurt in 1967. | |||