Evolutionary neurobiologist Dr. Max Farnworth joined Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) from the University of Bristol on August 1, 2026, with funding from the Emmy Noether Program. At JGU’s Department of Biology, Farnworth is establishing the “Neural Circuit & Systems Evolution” research group. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is providing around EUR 1.8 million in funding for the project over six years. Using insects as model organisms, Farnworth and his team aim to uncover fundamental principles of brain evolution and determine why some neural circuits are far more evolutionarily flexible than others.
“We are investigating how, during the development of an insect, many thousands of nerve cells and millions of connections arise from a comparatively small number of neural stem cells,” Farnworth explains. In this process, specific developmental programs determine which cell types are formed, how many cells develop, and which connections they establish. “We want to understand how these programs change over the course of evolution and how these changes allow neural circuits to adapt to different lifestyles and environmental conditions.”
Comparing four insect species
The research focuses on two regions of the insect brain: the structures known as mushroom bodies, which are involved in functions such as learning and memory, and the central complex, which plays a key role in orientation and navigation. Over the course of evolution, the two regions have developed very differently. While mushroom bodies have been extensively remodeled in different groups of insects, the central complex has remained comparatively conserved.
Farnworth’s team is investigating whether differences in the development of these two brain structures can explain their contrasting evolutionary histories. To do so, the researchers compare four insect species: the common fruit fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ), the red flour beetle ( Tribolium castaneum ), the clonal raider ant ( Ooceraea biroi ), and the Indianmeal moth ( Plodia interpunctella ). The four species belong to different branches of the insect evolutionary tree and therefore represent distinct evolutionary lineages.
Using single-cell analyses, genetic methods, and high-resolution imaging, the researchers examine which cell types are present, how they develop, and which connections they form. This allows them to investigate which components of neural circuits have been conserved over the course of evolution and where changes have occurred in cell types, cell numbers, or connectivity.
Excellent research environment at JGU
The new research group is based at the Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology, where Farnworth works closely with the Neural Circuits Lab. The group is also affiliated with the Focus Program Translational Neurosciences and the Institute of Pathophysiology.
“JGU provides an excellent research environment for my neuro-evo-devo approach, which seeks to understand brain evolution through its development,” Farnworth says. “This combination of strong developmental and evolutionary biology is rare. JGU also offers excellent core facilities, particularly in imaging.” His research group will include one postdoctoral researcher, two doctoral researchers, and a part-time technical assistant.
Farnworth has been studying the evolution and development of the insect brain since his doctoral research. At the University of Göttingen, he investigated the development of the central complex in fruit flies and red flour beetles. Most recently, he worked at the University of Bristol, where he studied the evolution of neural circuits in butterflies.