dr. A (Antoine) Cribellier

Mosquitoes are not only highly capable flyers but also, as disease vectors, the deadliest animals in the world, with malaria alone killing over 600,000 people each year. Today, insecticide-treated nets and indoor spraying are our main defences against mosquito-borne diseases. Yet resistance to these chemicals is spreading rapidly, undermining their effectiveness. Adding to the challenge, several mosquito species have become invasive worldwide, exposing billions of people to diseases such as dengue, Zika, and yellow fever.

My research focuses on mosquito flight behaviour and biomechanics, with the goal of developing insecticide-free tools for control. This interdisciplinary work combines custom-built research tools (e.g. FliTrak3D), addressing key questions in mosquito biology, and the translation of fundamental insights into practical solutions. I study how flying mosquitoes interact with their environment, with each other, and with their human hosts.

For example, during my PhD I studied mosquito behaviour around traps. This work led to the development of a new trap with greatly improved capture performances (Cribellier et al., 2018;  2020 and ultimately to the founding of the startup PreMal BV. I also discovered how mosquitoes avoid being swatted by sensing the airflows created by human movement (Cribellier et al., 2022, and 2024), a finding later showcased on Nieuwsuur (NPO Start)). This research was recognized with a cum laudePhD distinction (top 2%).

As a postdoc, I shifted focus to mosquito mating swarms, an understudied behaviour crucial for sterile-male release strategies. By combining the analysis of mosquito 3d tracks with agent-based modelling, I identified the simple behavioural rules that drive complex swarming (Poda*, Cribellier* et al., 2024, and  Cribellier et al.,  2024). This can help assess the competitiveness of lab-reared mosquito males against wild males for the sterile insect technique.  

Now, as a researcher in the Experimental Zoology group (EZO-WUR), I lead projects on mosquito biomechanics and ethology. Together with students and PhD candidates, I investigate mosquito host-seeking, trapping, and swarming, while also pioneering new areas such as landing dynamics and predator–prey interactions.

• No ancillary activities (11-1-2021/31-12-2099)