Dr Ben Warren

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

School of Psychology and Vision Sciences, University of Leicester

Scientific Background

Research Interests

My fascination with sensory neuroscience was forged during my observations of swarming mosquitoes during my undergraduate degree. The female mosquito’s high-pitched whine (all too familiar to victims of their bites) turns out to be necessary for male mosquitoes to locate them. The remarkable auditory sensitivity of mosquitoes is underpinned by ~16,000 neurons, jam-packed into a tiny structure the size of a pin-head. My imagination was captured by these mechanosensory neurons and sparked a question which has guided my research journey ever since: How do insect auditory neurons convert sound-induced nanometre displacements into electrical signals that the insect can hear?

To pursue this question I migrated to the renowned Kloppenburg lab in Cologne to learn the art of patch-clamping: a powerful electrophysiological tool for understanding the inner electrical workings of neurons. I gained further experience in the world-famous Göpfert lab in Göttingen which utilised the fruit fly to understand the molecular basis of mechanotransduction.

Studies of auditory neurons in insects were hampered by a lack of electrical recordings of the fundamental mechanical-to-electrical step. To address this gap in knowledge I turned to the locust, which has large accessible auditory neurons, which I brought the powerful patch-clamp technique to bear. In the thriving neuroscience community at Leicester, and within the specialist Locust Labs (headed by Drs Tom Matheson and Swidbert Ott), I pioneered the first patch-clamp recordings from insect (locust) auditory neurons. I now use the locust ear as a model system to understand basic principles of auditory transduction that apply across animals.

Scientific Inspiration

Will Hunting (Fictional character from the film Good Will Hunting) – Because he was driven by his intellectual curiosity, was never intimidated by those above him and he liked apples.

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Empathetic, Hands-on, Social

Provision of Training

I will personally provide intensive hands-on training in the first weeks of your PhD and when you learn new techniques and protocols. As you gain in competency and knowledge of the field you will be able to adapt and mould the technical skills you have learnt in order to address novel challenges. The end-career of most PhD students is not in academia and I will make sure you are trained in all skills required to be competitive as a scientist no matter what you choose to do afterwards. This extra training will include: statistics, scientific and proposal writing, figure preparation, oral presentation skills. I have an excellent track record of helping my lab members secure positions in their chosen field.

Progression Monitoring and Management

In the first year of your PhD I will guide your progression with fortnightly meetings. As you gain independence, and especially if you know which direction you wish to take your career, you will take more of an active role in your progression. This might include selecting what type of international meetings you wish to attend and selecting training courses which best meet your requirements. I am in the lab every day and you can approach me almost anytime you wish. We will have bi-monthly lab meetings to discuss progress on papers and to agree everybody’s role on upcoming papers.

Communication

I am in the lab most days and I am very approachable. As such, I will expect to see you on most work days. The lab has a WhatsApp group that we communicate more informally or in case of emergencies. My lab and the Neurogenetics group is very social normally meeting once a week at the pub. We also organise away days in the winter and summer and for festive occasions.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once per fortnight

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once per week

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once per fortnight

These meetings will be mainly face to face, and I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

Work Pattern

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings), I expect students to manage their own time.

Notice Period for Feedback

In most cases I will provide feedback within one day but at latest I need 1 week’s notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

Project Details

Dr Warren is the supervisor on the below project:

Short and long-term genetic and behavioural consequences of traumatic brain injury in fruit flies

Secondary Supervisor(s): Prof Ezio Rosato / Dr Roberto Feuda

University of Registration: University of Leicester

BBSRC Research Themes:

Understanding the Rules of Life (Microbiology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Systems Biology)
Integrated Understanding of Health (Ageing)

Apply here!

Deadline: 4 January, 2024

Project Outline

How many fingers am I holding up? What day of the week is it? Follow my finger? These three questions are designed to test your sensory, memory and motor neural abilities following an accident; all three systems are affected by a severe deceleration of your brain. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading form of death and long-term injury in young people, and now, even sub-concussive impacts (such as heading a football) disputedly lead to cognitive impairments in later life. The mechanical incapacitation of a nervous system (concussion) is not unique to humans and appears to be a shared feature of any animal with a nervous system (Buhlman et al., 2021; Delventhal et al., 2013). You will derive a comprehensive understanding of the short and long-term consequences of TBI in an experimentally trackable animal, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Specifically, you will track and analyse the locomotion, circadian rhythms and gene transcription changes of fruit flies directly after TBI and over their life span. Behaviour and gene transcription changes will be complemented with confocal and electron microscopy imaging of the fly brain. You will use the mechanical “Thor” device to deliver known decelerations (ranging from 10 to 1000G) to cohorts of flies.

Objectives

Quantify the threshold G-force required to induce changes in locomotion, circadian rhythm and gene expression changes.
Quantify long-term changes in locomotion, circadian rhythm and gene expression due to repetitive sub-concussive impacts.
Identify and track gene expression changes across a life span.
Characterise and track morphological changes in the fly’s brain with confocal and electron microscopy.

Training and international meetings

You will receive extensive hands-on training in mechanics, fly genetics, molecular biology, state-of-the-art imaging approaches and bioinformatics from Dr Warren, Prof. Rosato and Dr Feuda. You will be part of the thriving Neurogenetics community that spans the School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology with access to state-of-the-art facilities and tailored career development programmes run by MIBTP and the Doctoral College.

You will attend international meetings to present your work such as the 28th European Drosophila Research Conference in 2027 and the 18th Traumatic Brain Injury Conference (USA) 2028 and well as domestic meetings such as the UK “Clock Club” (every six months) and an annual Neurogenetics Group retreats.

References

Buhlman LM, Krishna G, Jones TB (2021) Drosophila as a model to explore secondary injury cascades after traumatic brain injury. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112079
Delventhat R, Wooder ER, Basturk M, Sattar M, Lai J, Bolton D, Muthukumar G, Ulgherait M, Shirasu-Hiza MM (2022) Dietary restriction ameliorates TBI-induced phenotypes in Drosophila melanogaster doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-13128-x

Techniques

Mechanics/laser Doppler vibrometry
Behaviour (locomotion and circadian), including computer learning (AI) approaches to track limb movements
Molecular biology (RNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis)
Bioinformatics (to analyse transcriptomes)
The methodology, skills and training is well sought after in academia and industry and will make the student competitive for roles post their PhD studies

Dr Warren is also co-supervisor on a project with Dr Roberto Feuda.