Ph.D. Candidate, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Email: amwinsor@umass.edu
Office: 401 Morrill III, Amherst MA 01003
Personal Website: https://alexmwinsor.wordpress.com/
Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/w4n6k/
GitHub: https://github.com/AlexWinsor
ORCID: 0000-0002-4890-0935
ResearchGate | Google Scholar
Last updated: October 2025
Education
Current
Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth Jakob, Luke Remage-Healey, Paul Katz, Jeff Podos
Dissertation Title: “Visual Cognition and its Neural Substrates in Jumping Spiders”
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2018
B.S. in Biology (cum laude, Program Distinction)
University of Florida
Publications
Submitted, under review, or in press
Winsor A. M. Attention as an active sensing process. Invited Contribution, in Review
Tan M., Winsor A. M., Yu L., Tan E. J., Jakob E. M., Li D. Motion enhances camouflage: Retinal evidence for flicker fusion camouflage in jumping spiders. Submitted to journal
De Agrò M., Winsor A. M., Walsh W., Shamble P., Jakob E. M. Biological point-light displays scanning by the principal eyes of a jumping spider. Preprint on bioRxiv & under review in JEB https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.23.661007
Vanthournout B., Dahirel M., Chuang A., De Wolf K., D’Haenekint N., Bonte D., … Winsor A. M., … Variable trait responses to urbanization in the garden spider Araneus diadematus. Under Review in Global Change Biology
2025
Walsh W., Winsor A.M., Jakob E. M. (2025) Web placement in grass spiders (Agelenopsis pennsylvanica) is driven by artificial light at night more than prey. Animal Behaviour, in press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123365. Open access link
Winsor A. M., Katz, P. S. (2025) Connectomes: The wiring diagram of an entire animal eLife 14:e108573. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.108573
2024
Winsor A. M., Remage-Healey L., Hoy R. R., Jakob E. M. (2024). Visual attention and processing in jumping spiders. Trends in Neurosciences, In press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2023.09.002 *(front cover of January 2024 Issue)
2023
Winsor A.M., Morehouse N.I., Jakob E.M. (2023). Distributed vision in spiders. In: Buschbeck E.K., Bok M.J. (eds). Distributed vision: from simple sensors to sophisticated combination eyes. Springer Series in Vision Research. Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-23216-9_10
2021
Bruce, M., Daye, D., Long, S. M., Winsor, A. M., Menda, G., Hoy, R. R., Jakob, E. M. (2021). Attention and distraction in the modular visual system of a jumping spider. Journal of Experimental Biology. doi: 10.1242/jeb.231035
Winsor A. M., Pagoti, G. F. , Daye, D., Cheries, E. W., Cave, K. R., Jakob, E. M. (2021). What gaze direction can tell us about cognitive processes in invertebrates. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.12.001
2020
Winsor A. M., Ihle M, Taylor L. A. (2020) Methods for independently manipulating palatability and color in small insect prey. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231205. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231205
Allen P. E., Laforest L., Diyaljee S. I., Smith H. M., Tran D. X., Winsor, A. M., Dale A. G. (2020). Long-term changes in mole cricket body size associated with enemy-free space and a novel range. Biological Invasions 22, 773–782. doi: 10.1007/s10530-019-02127-1
2018
Allen, P. E., Dale A. G., Diyaljee S. I., Ector N. J., Petit-Bois D., Quinn J. T., Ranieri A. C., Sanchez J. A., Smith H. M., Tran D. X., Winsor A. M., Miller, C. W. (2018). One and Done: Long-Term Sperm Storage in the Cactus-Feeding Bug, Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 111(5), 271-277. doi: 10.1093/aesa/say017
Grants and Fellowships
2024
Animal Behavior Society Student Research Grant: “Visual prey categorization in the jumping spider brain.” Total amount: $2,000
American Arachnological Society Research Fund: “Neuromodulation of behavioral state in jumping spiders.” Total amount: $750
2020
University of Massachusetts Predissertation Research Grant. Total amount: $1,000
2018
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). Total stipend: $10,000
Invited Talks
2025
CoNNExINS speaker at the NYU Neuroscience Institute. Talk titled “Visual object categorization and multisensory arousal in the jumping spider brain.” *$250 honorarium received
Computational and Systems Neuroscience (COSYNE) workshop “Object-centric Neuronal Representations Across Biological and Artificial Vision Systems,” organized by Katrin Franke and Diamantaki in Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada. Talk title: “Object categorization in the modular visual system of jumping spiders.” https://toliaslab.org/workshop/cosyne-object-centric/
2024
NeuroMEETS speaker at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. Talk titled “Attention in a distributed visual system.” *$350 honorarium received
2023
American Arachnological Society Conference (AAS) symposium “Sensory Ecology” organized by Jay Stafstrom in Ithaca, New York. Talk title “Visual object categorization in the jumping spider brain.” *1st place AAS Student Paper Oral Presentation Award
Workshops
2024
Neural Systems & Behavior course at Marine Biological Laboratory, class of 2024
- Intracellular recordings of identified mechanosensory leech neurons and analysis in MATLAB (Michael Wright)
- DLC tracking and tetrode building for extracellular recordings during free movement in electric fish (Eric Fortune)
- Optogenetics, thermogenetics, FlyWire connectome exploration, and quantitative behavior during VR navigation in fruit flies (Gaby Maimon)
- Calcium imaging, microfluidics, gene knockouts and behavioral assays in C. elegans (Diego Rayes)
2023
Junior Scientist Workshop in Mechanistic Cognitive Neuroscience (Janelia Research Campus)
2021
CrawFly Invertebrate Neurophysiology Course (Cornell University)
Presentations/Conferences
2024
Invited talk about my dissertation research to Gaby Maimon’s Lab at The Rockefeller University.
Distinguished Graduate Student Speaker for OEB seminar: “Visual perception in the jumping spider brain.” (March 8) ($50 honorarium received)
2023
Neuro Salon Oct 31, 2023 (UMass Psych 893, Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Graduate Seminar). Talk title “Eyes are vibrant windows into the mind.”
Poster entitled “Neural correlates of visual object classification in the jumping spider brain” at the 2023 SfN conference in Washington, D.C. (November 11-15).
Poster entitled “Neural correlates of categorical perception in jumping spiders” at the 2023 UMass 25th Anniversary Symposium of the Center for Neuroendocrine Studies (September 22)
Conference abstracts accepted to the International Conference on Invertebrate Vision in Fjälkinge, Sweden (July 27-August 3); and Gordon Research Conference in Neuroethology in Somerset, Vermont (August 6-11). Posters entitled “Visual object categorization in the jumping spider brain.”
Talk entitled “Your eyes are windows into your mind” given to the undergraduate UMass Neuroscience Club (April 25, 2023).
2022
Poster entitled “Cross-modal cues increase retinal activity in a jumping spider” at the Fall 2022 UMass Neuroscience Poster Conference (November 9, 2022)
Talk entitled “Cross-modal cues increase retinal activity in a jumping spider” at the 2022 American Arachnological Society Conference in Davis, California (June 25–29, 2022)
2019
Winsor, A. M. Jumping Spider Vision and Behavior. 2019. STEM Week, Holyoke Community College.
2017
Allen, P. E., Dale A. G., Diyaljee S. I., Ector N. J., Petit-Bois D., Quinn J. T., Ranieri A. C., Sanchez J. A., Smith H. M., Tran D. X., Winsor A. M., Miller, C. W. One and Done: Long-Term Sperm Storage in the Cactus-Feeding Bug, Narnia femorata (Hemiptera: Coreidae). 2017. University of Florida Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Awards and Recognition
2023
AAS Student Paper Presentation Award (1st place)
Student Mentoring/Advising/Awards
*note: some students have presented their work at conferences, received jobs and fellowships, and have been co-authors on published papers (see below).
2025-present
Mentor for undergraduate students (1) – Britney Lyons
2024-2025
Mentor for undergraduate students (3) – Britney Lyons, Taylor Parham, and Ethan Gray. (Britney will begin her capstone project for the Fall 2025/Spring 2026 year. *Taylor and Ethan presented their work at the 2025 Animal Behavior Society meeting in Baltimore and won 2nd place in the undergraduate Genesis Poster Competition.)
2022-2023
Wes Walsh, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Work Study) *defended honor’s thesis and published first-author paper, now PhD student & NSF GRFP recipient
Elise Descheneaux, University of Massachusetts Amherst *defended honor’s thesis
Destiny Deschenes, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Work Study) *now lab manager in Chicago
2021-2022
Agustin Plasencia, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Research Assistant) *co-author on upcoming paper
Alyssa Wilkinson, University of Massachusetts Amherst (Research Assistant) *co-author on submitted paper
Carolyn Baryluk, University of Massachusetts Amherst (BUA student) *co-author on upcoming paper
Christine Whitehair, University of Massachusetts Amherst (BUA student) *co-author on upcoming paper
Endi Gjeli, University of Massachusetts Amherst (BUA student)
Shaan Kumar, University of Massachusetts Amherst (BUA student)
2019-2021
Meagan Gustafson, University of Massachusetts Amherst (BURA student) *co-author on upcoming paper
Zachary Fisher, University of Massachusetts Amherst (BURA student) *co-author on upcoming paper
Ibroxim Madjidov, University of Massachusetts Amherst (LeeSIP student)
2018
Valerie B. Kessler, University of Florida (NSF REU student)
Kayla M. Muzzillo, University of Florida (NSF REU student)
Mindy J. Higley, University of Florida (NSF REU student)
Teaching
2024
Guest Lecture for Animal Behavior course, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Instructor: Beth Jakob)
Guest Lecture for Neuroethology course, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Instructor: Paul Katz)
Guest Lecture for Animal Communication course, University of California, Berkeley (Instructor: Damian Elias)
Teaching Assistant for senior-level Animal Behavior course (chiefly responsible for lab sections)
2023
Fall 2023 CNS Teaching Fellow. Course title: “Secret Sensory Worlds.” (instructor of record, 2 sections)
Teaching Assistant for senior-level Animal Behavior course (chiefly responsible for lab sections)
2022
Teaching Assistant for senior-level Animal Behavior course (chiefly responsible for lab sections)
2021
Guest Lecture for First-Year Seminar, UMass Amherst (Instructor: Kate Otter)
Media Coverage
2025
Commentary for Scientific American article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-spiders-puke-up-toxic-digestive-fluid-to-marinate-their-prey-alive/
Guest Speaker, WHMP Radio – Talk the Talk:
https://whmp.com/podcasts/untangling-webs/
2023
Featured on PNAS Science Sessions Podcast
https://www.pnas.org/post/podcast/webs-and-leaps-hunting-adaptations-spiders
Featured on PBS science education show “Deep Look”:
https://www.tiktok.com/@deeplookofficial/video/7191914001679289643?lang=en (TikTok)
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oKifYX5jM2M (Youtube)
2022
Interview for the PBS science education show “Be Smart” with Joe Hanson: https://youtu.be/GyUlaHxsZqA (over a million views!)
Commentary for a NatGeo report: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/jumping-spiders-dream-rem-sleep-study-suggests
2021
In-lab conversation and spider eye tracking demonstration with science journalist and writer Ed Yong (for his book, An Immense World)
Our work was featured in ScienceNews: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/jumping-spider-vision-eyes-color-senses-hearing-mating-courtship
Verified Peer Review (Publons & ORCID)
Since 2021: eLife (1), Animal Behaviour (5), Behavioral Ecology (1), Behavioural Processes (1), Ethology (3), Journal of Comparative Psychology (1), Functional Ecology (2), & Journal of Arachnology (3).
Book chapters: The Routledge International Handbook of Comparative Psychology (1) & Psychodiversity: Cognition and Sentience Beyond Humans (1)
Departmental/Community Service, Leadership and Outreach
2025
RockEDU high school science outreach: Assisted with behavioral quantification of mice in open field test. The Rockefeller University
Elected as the Early-Career Representative for the International Society for Neuroethology
2024
Elected Spring 2024 Student President of OEB
2023
Fernald Entomology Club events, OEB Seminar Happy Hour Committee
2022
Family Camp: Discover Spiders, Florida Museum of Natural History
Fernald Entomology Club events, OEB Seminar Happy Hour Committee, OEB Mentorship Committee
2021
Fernald Entomology Club events, Food for Thought Committee, OEB Mentorship Committee
2020
Mentorship Committee
2019
Fernald Club & STEM Outreach, Biology Department, UMass Amherst
Invertebrate zoo and associated presentations
2018
Outreach Officer serving rural communities in North central Florida, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF
Presented research findings to public at events (e.g., Florida State Fair in Tampa, FL). Conducted outreach presentations for research involvement in undergraduate classrooms.
Seminar Series Organization
2025
Helped organize the Webinar Series ‘The Future Of Neuroethology’ in collaboration with the Inclusion and Diversity Committee (IDC) of ISN
2025 invited speaker and host
Daniel Kronauer — Distinguished Lecture in the NSB Colloquia Series at UMass Amherst
2024 invited speaker and host
Malcolm MacIver — OEB Colloquia Series at UMass Amherst
2022 invited speakers and host
Paul Shamble — OEB Colloquia Series at UMass Amherst
Kate Feller — OEB Colloquia Series at UMass Amherst
Sci-Comm Clips/Publications
2025
‘Ask an Expert’ Column Contributor, The Week Junior US Magazine.
Answered children’s (ages 8-14) questions about spiders in a nationally distributed educational magazine. October 24, 2025 Vol. 6, Issue 288.
‘Ask an Expert’ Column Contributor, The Week Junior US Magazine.
Answered children’s (ages 8-14) questions about spiders in a nationally distributed educational magazine. September 5/September 12, 2025 Vol. 6, Issue 281/282. https://theweekjunior.com/
SPOTLIGHT ON EARLY CAREER RESEARCH. ISN Newsletter. https://internationalsocietyofneuroethology.growthzoneapp.com/ap/CloudFile/Download/pMZ3W9aP
2023
Low-cost method to study color learning in small predators. Kudos. https://www.growkudos.com/publications/10.1371%25252Fjournal.pone.0231205/reader
2021
Storytelling in Science. That’s Life [Science] Blog. http://thatslifesci.com/2021-11-29-awinsor-storytelling-in-science/
2020
A Unique Case of Arthropod Vision. That’s Life [Science] Blog. http://thatslifesci.com/2020-04-06-a-unique-case-of-arthropod-vision-awinsor/
2019
Survival by Aposematism and Mimicry: The Evolution of Bright Colors. That’s Life [Science] Blog. http://thatslifesci.com/2019-10-21-aposematism-mimicry-color-awinsor/
Previous Research Experience
2018
NSF “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU)
Advisors: Malika Ihle & Lisa Taylor
UF Entomology and Nematology Department
2017
Undergraduate Research Intern (Supervised Research)
Advisors: Pablo E. Allen & Adam G. Dale
UF Entomology and Nematology Department
2017
Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE)
Instructors: Pablo E. Allen & Christine W. Miller
UF Entomology and Nematology Department
Professional Associations
International Society for Neuroethology (ISN)
Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
Animal Behavior Society (ABS)
Computational and Systems Neuroscience (COSYNE)
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)
American Arachnological Society (AAS)
References
Available upon request
Alex M. Winsor 