Cluster of Excellence “Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour” (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz

At the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, we aim to create a global hotspot for the integrated study of collective behaviour across a wide range of species and across scales of organisation. As a collaboration between the University of Konstanz and the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, we harness substantial expertise in the local region to create a synergistic, interdisciplinary environment for the study of collective behaviour that will be unmatched by any institution around the world.

We aim to spearhead an integrated study of collective behaviour across a wide range of species, including humans. Our research is interdisciplinary in scope – combining biology, social psychology, behavioural economics, sociology, physics, and computer science – but united in a quantitative approach that involves extensive collection and sophisticated analysis of empirical data. It is built on new tools – including an Imaging Hangar for the design of virtual and reactive environments, and a space-borne animal tracking system (ICARUS) – enabling the study of collectives in unparalleled depth.