Christopher Jernigan

Christopher M. Jernigan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology

Education

Ph.D. Arizona State University, Animal Behavior
B.A. Biology & Chemistry, Summa Cum Laude, Butler University

Research: Cornell University, Sheehan Laser Lab, NIH NEI K99/R00 Postdoctoral Awardee

email

Personal Website

Research

Dr. Chris Jernigan is a neuroethologist whose research explores how animals perceive and process complex social stimuli, with a particular focus on the neural mechanisms underlying social recognition. His work centers on the Northern paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus), a species in which females use individually distinctive facial color patterns to recognize one another. Dr. Jernigan has identified a brain region and physiological cell type likely involved in this remarkable ability, and is actively characterizing the neural circuits and developmental processes that support social recognition in these insects.

His research leverages a range of techniques, including multichannel electrophysiology, behavioral assays, and comparative neuroanatomy, to investigate how experience and social environment shape sensory processing. By comparing the organization of visual circuits in Polistes wasps to those in other invertebrates and vertebrates, Dr. Jernigan aims to uncover fundamental principles of specialized visual and social recognition systems. His work also extends to olfactory processing in honey bees, where he has demonstrated that individual odor experience drives neural plasticity and complex odor analysis.

Dr. Jernigan’s integrative and collaborative approach has led to projects spanning computer science, virology, and neurogenetics, including the development of software for tracking insect behavior and tools for cell-specific neural labeling in social insects.

Selected Publications

For a full list of publications, visit Dr. Jernigan’s publications page.

• Jernigan, C.M., Freiwald, W.A., & Sheehan, M.J. (in review). Neural correlates of individual facial recognition in a social wasp. BioRxiv. doi
• Jernigan, C.M., Mammen, L., Brown, R., & Sheehan, M.J. (in review). Paper wasps: A model clade for social cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
• Jernigan, C.M., & Sheehan, M.J. (2024). Developmental biology: Wait a bit and then you’ll smell it. Current Biology, 34(14). doi
• Jernigan, C.M., Uy, F.M.K. (2023). Impact of the social environment in insect sensory systems. Current Opinion in Insect Science. doi
• Tumulty, J.P., Miller, S.E., Van Belleghem, S.M., Weller, H.I., Jernigan, C.M., et al. (2023). Evidence for a selective link between cooperation and individual recognition. Current Biology, 33(24). doi
• Jernigan, C.M., Stafstrom, J.A., Zaba, N.C., Vogt, C.C., & Sheehan, M.J. (2022). Color is necessary for specialized face learning in the Northern paper wasp, Polistes fuscatus. Animal Cognition. doi

In the News

• “Wasps with no social life may find it harder to recognize others,” New Scientist
• “Social wasps lose face recognition abilities in isolation,” Science Magazine