Pathway to Independence – an interview with Max Farnworth

Max Farnworth completed his PhD in Gregor Bucher's lab at the University of Göttingen, Germany, where he explored how heterochrony shapes the evolution and development of insect brains. He then joined the lab of Stephen Montgomery at the University of Bristol supported by a Walter Benjamin Scholarship, to investigate how two enigmatic brain regions co-evolve to support novel behaviours, using neotropical butterflies as a model system. Currently, Max is a Senior Research Associate developing new tools to study the evolution of neural circuits. Max has been selected as one of our 2025 PI fellows, a group of researchers who will be supported by Development's Pathway to Independence programme as they aim to secure independent positions. We spoke to Max to learn more about why he decided to apply to the programme, and what research questions he hopes to address with his own lab.