Research Fellow Dr Maryam Norouzi

Maryam has been at Trinity since 2023 -- currently a Research Fellow and Principal Investigator working on the WingSense project, which sits at the intersection of engineering, sensing technologies, and biodiversity monitoring. Her office is usually somewhere between a radar sensor, a laptop full of data, and a field full of insects!

How did you get interested in insects?

To be honest, I came to insects through engineering rather than the other way around. I've always been fascinated by sensing technologies and how we can measure things that are difficult to observe. Insects turned out to be the perfect challenge: they're tiny, fast, and everywhere, yet surprisingly difficult to monitor in the real world.

What does your research focus on?

I develop radar-based sensing systems that can monitor insect activity continuously and non-invasively. Through our project, WingSense, we're exploring how radar and AI can help us better understand pollinators and other insects without using cameras or trapping them.

What's the most exciting thing you have discovered?

Probably that a tiny flying insect can produce a surprisingly rich radar signature. It's amazing to think that something as small as a bee carries so much information in the way its wings move.

Why should we study insects?

Insects are among the most sensitive indicators of ecosystem health, but we're still largely blind when it comes to monitoring them at scale. Better monitoring means better data, and better data can help support biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture, and environmental decision-making.

Where is the strangest place you have done research on insects?

Probably inside a lab enclosure inside an anechoic chamber trying to convince a bee to hover in front of a radar. The bee usually had different plans.

What is your favourite insect?

I should probably say honeybee, since I've spent so much time studying them. They're tiny flying engineers with an impressive work ethic.

What's your favourite insect fun fact?

Bumblebees sometimes raise a leg when they notice a potential threat nearby. I like to think of it as the insect equivalent of saying, "Excuse me, you're a bit too close!"

Anything else you want to share?

People often think insects are just background noise in nature, but they're actually doing some of the most important jobs in our ecosystems. The more we learn about them, the more remarkable they become.