Dr Abdullahi Yusuf of the Social Insects Research Group (SIRG) in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria (UP), was awarded a Georg Forster Research Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany.

These highly sought after fellowships allow young scientists the opportunity to develop their academic careers in partnership with leaders in their field of research. This fellowship will enable Dr Yusuf to pursue his research interests in honey bee behavioural ecology for a year in the Molecular Ecology Research Group (MERG) at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle, Germany.

He will be working with Prof Robin Moritz, a leader in the field of honey bee behavioural ecology and genomics, who is the head of the MERG. Prof Moritz is also currently an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Zoology and Entomology and this fellowship will provide Dr Yusuf with an opportunity to further strengthen the on-going collaboration between this research group and the SIRG.