Post Doctoral Researcher (FNRS – CR)
Current research
SmartNet : Optimisation of transport networks by a smart environment: a case study with social insects
The growth of urban centres requires the development of new technical systems to ensure a better organisation of the traffic and to efficiently manage the complexity of transport networks. In this context, my objective is to create an experimental model system that offers the opportunity to study the management of the collective movements of a large number of individuals by an artificial system. In continuation of my PhD thesis and post-doc, the fundamental aim of this project is to develop a bio-hybrid system coupling an animal society and a distributed robotic system. This project is built around a model case-study: optimising the traffic flows of the ant Lasius niger. It is based on the study and modelling of individual and collective behaviours of ants exploring a network of pathways and on the development of robotic units positioned at each network branch that can favour the selection of a particular path. Our goal is to demonstrate that such system can dynamically optimise the flows of ants by guiding them to avoid the appearance of traffic jams of the network. To do so, the system will quantify the traffic on the network in real time to calculate the optimal flow distribution and accordingly adapt the environment to maximise the efficiency of ants transport. Thus, this project at the crossroads of ethology, mathematical modelling and robotics, will allow us to study in laboratory conditions different algorithms controlling miniature roundabouts regulating the traffic on its different pathways.
Academic record
Since 2018: Postdoctoral Researcher (FNRS – CR) at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Brussels, Belgium) working on the SmartNet project. Unit of Social Ecology (Department of Biology).
2016-2018: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellow (Experienced Researcher) at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL School of Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland) working on the project CyBioSys. Laboratoire de Systèmes Robotiques (Institute of Microengineering).
2013-2016: Post-doctoral researcher and board member of the laboratory council at the Université Paris Diderot (Paris, France) working on the EU-funded project ASSISIbf (EU-FP7 Project no. 601074). Paris Interdisciplinary Energy Research Institute (Department of Physics).
2012: PhD in Sciences from Université libre de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium).
PhD thesis: « Group recruitment and role of leaders in the ant Tetramorium caespitum: theoretical and experimental approach ». Advisor: Pr Claire Detrain, Unit of Social Ecology (Department of Biology).
2007: M.Sc. in Animal Biology from Université libre de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium). Valedictorian, 1st class honours.
Teaching
Since 2020 : Introduction to Sustainable Development (48h) – BA1 Economics (700 students)
Grants & Awards
2017: Grant from the FNRS (Postdoctoral Researcher – CR).
2016: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellowship (Individual European Fellowship).
2012: Grant from the David and Alice Van Buuren Foundation (PhD Thesis Funding).
2007: Grant from the Fund for the Research in Industry and Agronomy (PhD Thesis Funding).
2007: Paul Brien Award for the best Master Thesis.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Lehue, M., Detrain, C. & Collignon, B. (2020) Nest entrances, spatial fidelity, and foraging patterns in the Red Ant Myrmica rubra: a field and theoretical study. Insects, 11, 317.
Lehue, M., Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2020) Multiple nest entrances alter foraging and information transfer in ants. Royal Society Open Science, 7:191330.
Papaspyros, V., Bonnet, F., Collignon, B. & Mondada, F. (2019) Bidirectional interactions facilitate the integration of a robot into a shoal of zebrafish Danio rerio. PLoS ONE, 14:(8):e0220559.
Collignon, B., Séguret, A., Chemtob, Y., Cazenille, L. & Halloy, J. (2019) Collective departures and leadership in zebrafish. PLoS ONE, 14(5):e0216798.
Séguret, A., Collignon, B., Cazenille, L., Chemtob, Y., and Halloy, J. (2019) Loose social organization of AB strain zebrafish groups in a two-patch environment. PLoS ONE, 14(2):e0206193.
Cazenille, L., Collignon, B., Chemtob, Y., Bonnet, F., Gribovskiy, A., Mondada, F., Bredeche, N. & Halloy, J. (2018) How mimetic should a robotic fish be to socially integrate into zebrafish groups? Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 13:025001.
Bonnet, F., Cazenille, L., Séguret, A., Collignon, B., Halloy, J. & Mondada, F. (2017) Design of a modular robotic system that mimics small fish locomotion and body movements for ethological studies. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 14:3.
Pita, D., Collignon, B., Halloy, J. & Fernandez-Juricic, E. (2016) Collective behaviour in vertebrates: a sensory perspective. Royal Society Open Science, 3:160377.
Ashraf., I., Godoy-Diana, R., Halloy, J., Collignon, B. & Thiria, B. (2016) Synchronisation and collective swimming pattern in fish Hemigrammus bleheri. J. R. Soc. Interface, 13:20160734.
Séguret, A., Collignon, B. & Halloy, J. (2016) Strains differences in the collective behaviour of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in heterogeneous environments. Royal Society Open Science, 3:160451.
Collignon, B., Séguret, A. & Halloy, J. (2016) A stochastic vision-based model inspired by zebrafish collective behaviour in heterogeneous environments. Royal Society Open Science, 3:150473.
Collignon, B., Cervantes Valdivieso, L.E. & Detrain, C. (2014) Group recruitment in ants: Who is willing to lead? Behavioural Processes, 108, 98-104.
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2014). Accuracy of leadership and control of the audience in the pavement ant Tetramorium caespitum. Animal Behaviour, 92, 159-165.
Collignon, B., Deneubourg, J.L. & Detrain, C. (2012). Leader-based and self-organized communication: modelling group-mass recruitment in ants. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 313, 79-86.
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2010). Distributed leadership and adaptive decision-making in the ant Tetramorium caespitum. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 277, 1267-1273.
BOOK CHAPTER
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2020) Self-organization and stigmergy. In: Starr, C.K. (ed), Encyclopaedia of Social Insects, Springer, Cham.
INVITED TALKS
Collignon, B. (2020) Animal-robot interactions: at the crossroad of biology and robotics. Center for Integrative Biology seminar, France.
Collignon, B., Séguret, A. & Halloy, J. (2015) Collective motion modelled by a perception-based stochastic approach. 108th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society, Austria.
Collignon, B., Séguret, A. & Halloy, J. (2015) Modelling collective behaviour of zebrafish in heterogeneous environment: a stochastic approach. French Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (SFECA), France.
CONFERENCES
Collignon, B., Halloy, J., Mondada, F. & Detrain, C. (2019) Multiscale modelling of dynamical systems. French Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (SFECA), France.
Collignon, B. (2019) My PhD, now! But what next …? Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminars (ISS), Belgium.
Collignon, B. (2019) Optimization of transport networks by a smart environment: a case study with social insects. Bioengineer Research Day, Belgium.
Collignon, B., Detrain, C. & Mondada, F. (2018) Division of labour applied to cooperative foraging by ants and robots. 18th Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects, Brazil.
Collignon, B., Detrain, C. & Mondada, F. (2018) Récolte de nourriture et coopération fourmis-robots. French Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (SFECA), France.
Collignon, B., Detrain, C. & Mondada, F. (2017) La fourmilière : un swarm de bio-senseurs. Conference of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects French section, France.
Collignon, B., Detrain, C. & Mondada, F. (2017) The ant colony: a swarm of biosensors. Behaviour, Portugal.
Collignon, B., Detrain, C. & Mondada, F. (2017) A simple sensor to monitor animal behaviour. French Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour, France.
Collignon, B., Séguret, A., Cazenille, L., Chemtob, Y. & Halloy, J. (2016) Initiation of collective movements in the zebrafish Danio rerio. French Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour, France.
Collignon, B., Séguret, A. & Halloy, J. (2014) Collective behaviour modeled by probabilistic agents. Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Winter Meeting, United Kingdoms.
Collignon, B., Deneubourg, J.L. & Detrain, C. (2012) Leaders-based or self-organized information transfer during foraging in ants. 7th Ecology & Behaviour Meeting, France.
Collignon, B., Cervantes Valdivieso, L.E. & Detrain, C. (2012) Behavioural profile of the leader and non-leader recruiters in the ant Tetramorium caespitum. XXVIe Annual Conference of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects French section, France.
Collignon, B., Deneubourg, J.L. & Detrain, C. (2010) Complex patterns in food exploitation by ants. 7th International Francophone Conference of Entomology, Belgium.
Collignon, B., Deneubourg, J.L. & Detrain, C. (2010) Theoretical study of food recruitments in ants: a generalized model. 16th Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects, Danemark.
Collignon, B., Cervantes Valdivieso, L.E. & Detrain, C. (2010) Behavioral analysis of leaders during group recruitment in the ant Tetramorium caespitum. 17th Benelux Congress of Zoology, Belgium.
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2009) Distributed leadership during foraging in ants. 31th International Ethological Conference, France.
Collignon, B., Detrain, C. & Deneubourg, J.L. (2009) Analytical study of food recruitment towards a unique food source in ants. Annual meeting of the Doctoral School Non-linear Phenomenons, Complex systems and Statistical Mechanics, Belgium.
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2008) The influence of food type and food quality on the group recruitment in the ant Tetramorium caespitum. 4th European meeting of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects, Belgium.
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2008) Tuning of group recruitment in the ant Tetramorium caespitum. 15th Benelux Congress of Zoology, Belgium.
Collignon, B. & Detrain, C. (2008) Group recruitment and role of the leaders in the ant Tetramorium caespitum: an experimental and theoretical approach. Annual meeting of the Doctoral School Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Belgium.
Contact
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Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Unité d’Ecologie Sociale (USE)
Bertrand Collignon
ULB CP 231
Campus de la Plaine, bd du Triomphe,
B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 650 55 28
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