Dr Robyn A Grant
Dr Robyn A Grant
Reader in Comparative Physiology & Behaviour
My profile
Biography
I am a Reader in Comparative Physiology and Behaviour at Manchester Metropolitan University. I am a Sensory Biologist specialising in somatosensation. I am the Editor-in Chief for Mammal Review.
I address fundamental questions about the form and function of vertebrate touch sensing by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. Specifically, my work focusses on facial touch sensors - whiskers in mammals and rictal bristles in birds. My research answers questions in the following areas:
- What behaviours and movements are associated with touch sensing?
- Why is the shape of the touch sensor and the anatomy of the follicle so diverse?
- How did facial touch sensing evolve?
- How does neurodegeneration effect sensing and locomotion?
- How can whiskers inform other disciplines, such as robotics, mathematics and mechanics?
Interests and expertise
I am passionate about discovering and disseminating my research. Therefore, I contribute to many external research initiatives, such as:
- Grant Review Panels (BBSRC, BES, NIH)
- Grant Review College (BES)
- Grant Reviewer (BBSRC, MRC, Human Brain Project, EC)
- Editor-in-chief Mammal Review
- Journal Editing (PLOS Computational Biology, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Frontiers in Neurorobotics, Sports Engineering, Journal of Neuroscience Methods)
- Article Reviewer for many journals, including PNAS, Proceedings Royal Society, PLOS One, PLOS Biology, Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience etc
- Lifelong Fellow at the Software Sustainability Institute
- Advisor for the Mammal Society, International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, Mindsets + Missions Programme
- Public Engagement with schools, museums and zoos around the United Kingdom
Projects
- 2022 - 2025 Evolution Education Trust Walk on the Wild Side: canid gait
- 2021-2024 Royal Society APEX Grant MMMMammalWhiskers: Morphology, Mechanics and Movement of Mammalian Whiskers
- 2021 – 2024 BBSRC Discovery Fellowship Super Seal Sense: Whisker movement control in Pinnipeds, grant writer and mentor to Dr Alyx Milne
- 2021 Bedtime Stories for Very Young Engineers Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Public Engagement Award Participant
- 2019 – 2021 EPSRC Friction Innovation Fund Whisker TacTip: Using robotic sensors to give insights into biological surface interactions
- 2018 – 2021 EPSRC Modelling the Mechanics of Animal Whiskers (MMEAW)
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/research/research-centres/ecology-environment/projects/touch-sensing-mammals
Teaching
I teach comparative anatomy and behaviour. Comparative anatomy and behaviour is great! It’s an amazing way to appreciate the patterns of diversity in the natural world, and discover the functional significance of anatomical structures and behaviours. Specifically, I teach:
- comparative anatomy on the following units: Comparative Anatomy, Physiology & Behaviour, Control & Coordination of Behaviour, Vertebrate Evolution.
- comparative animal behaviour on the units: Fieldtrip, Brain and Behaviour, Practical Techniques and Analysis
- video analysis techniques on the units: Practical Techniques and Analysis
I am the unit leader for the MSc Zoos & Conservation Unit, in collaboration with Chester Zoo, and BSc unit Comparative Anatomy, Physiology & Behaviour. I am the Programme Leader for MSc Zoo Conservation Biology and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
Supervision
Current PhD Students:
- Harry Gill (2023 - Present) Walk on the wild side: Canid gair project
- Katie Todd (2023 - Present) Sensing water movements in Pinnipeds
- Steve Spurrier (2019 - Present) Designing a bio-inspired climbing shoe
- Ugne Simanaviciute (2019-2024) Standardising whisker testing in rodent models of disease
- Michal Zatrak (2018-Present) Seal health and welfare in rehabilitation centers
- Emma Clear (2018 - Present) Mustelid reproductive biomechanics
Completed PhD Students:
- Michael Foley (2016 - 2022) Synthesis and bioevaluation of Spirocyclic Alkaloids
- Mariane Delaunay (2016-2022) The form and function of avian rictal bristles
- Rana Osama S Khayat (2016-2019) The cause and effect of wing tears on bats
- Alyx Milne (2015-2019) Active touch sensing and cognition in pinnipeds
- Brett Hewitt (2014-2018) Image analysis toolbox for whisker tracking
- Kendra Arkley (2010-2013) Strategy change in vibrissal active sensing during locomotion in rat
MRes Students
- Natasha Mynett (2019-Present) Electrosensing in cetaceans. Manchester Met University
- Leah Greenhalgh (2016-2017) Synthesis and arachnid testing of legal highs. Manchester Met University
- Mariane Delaunay (2014-2015) Anatomy and morphology of rictal bristles in Caprimulgiformes. University of Poitiers, France
- Anna Sperber (2011-2012) The role of orienting in vibrissal touch. University of Marburg, Germany
Research outputs
-
Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Grant, R.A., Allen, T., Spink, A., Sullivan, M. (2018) Measuring Behavior 2018 Conference Proceedings. Manchester Metropolitan University.
-
Chapters in books
Prescott, T.J., Lepora, N., Mitchinson, B., Pearson, M., Martinez-Hernandez, U., Grant, R. (2020) 'Active touch sensing in mammals and robots.' The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference. Academic Press,
Muchlinski, M.N., Hemingway, H.W., Grant, R., Burrows, A.M. (2020) 'Have Lorisids moved beyond touch?.' Evolution, Ecology and Conservation of Lorises and Pottos. Cambridge University Press,
Prescott, T.J., Lepora, N., Mitchinson, B., Pearson, M., Martinez-Hernandez, U., Grant, R.A. (2020) '4.07 - Active Touch Sensing in Mammals and Robots.' The Senses: A Comprehensive Reference: Volume 1-7, Second Edition. pp. 79-109.
Muchlinski, M.N., Hemingway, H.W., Grant, R.A., Burrows, A.M. (2020) 'Outliers: Have Lorisids Moved Beyond Touch?.' Evolution, Ecology and Conservation of Lorises and Pottos. pp. 47-56.
Grant, R.A., Arkley, K. (2015) 'Matched filtering in active whisker touch.' The Ecology of Animal Senses Matched Filters for Economical Sensing. Springer,
-
Journal articles
Grant, R.A., Bonhomme, V., Allen, T. (2024) 'Generating novel tennis racket shape concepts using a theoretical morphospace.' PLoS ONE, 19(9)
McMillan, A., Zatrak, M., Ilderton, R., Grant, R. (2024) 'Development of a visual body condition score system for juvenile harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in rehabilitation centres.' Mammal Communications, 10pp. 1-7.
Simanaviciute, U., Potter, H.G., Hager, R., Glazier, J., Hodson-Tole, E., Gigg, J., Grant, R. (2024) 'Maternal immune activation affects female offspring whisker movements during object exploration in a rat model of neurodevelopmental disorders.' Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health, 39
Nakhwa, A.A., Breakell, V., Chambers, L., Elder, A., McLoughlin, E., Roberts, S., Todd, K., Grant, R.A. (2024) 'Implications of tactile enrichment on the behaviour and whisker movements of four species of carnivorans.' Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 274
Elder, A., Evans, E., Brassey, C., Kitchener, A.C., Hantke, G., Grant, R. (2024) 'Describing the musculature of mystacial pads in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) using diceCT.' Journal of Anatomy,
Dougill, G., Brassey, C., Starostin, E.L., Andrews, H., Kitchener, A., van der Heijden, G., Goss, V., Grant, R. (2023) 'Describing whisker morphology of the Carnivora.' Journal of Morphology, 284(9) pp. e21628-e21628.
Clear, E., Grant, R., Gardiner, J., Brassey, C. (2023) 'Baculum shape complexity correlates to metrics of post-copulatory sexual selection in Musteloidea.' Journal of Morphology, 284(4) pp. e21572-e21572.
Spurrier, S., Allen, T., Grant, R.A. (2022) 'Investigating foot morphology in rock climbing mammals: inspiration for biomimetic climbing shoes.' Biomimetics, 8(1) pp. 8-8.
Delaunay, M.G., Brassey, C., Larsen, C., Lloyd, H., Grant, R.A. (2022) 'The evolutionary origin of avian facial bristles and the likely role of rictal bristles in feeding ecology.' Scientific Reports, 12
Grant, R.A., Ryan, H., Breakell, V. (2022) 'Demonstrating a measurement protocol for studying comparative whisker movements with implications for the evolution of behaviour.' Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 384pp. 109752-109752.
Zatrak, M., Brittain, S., Himmelreich, L., Lovick-Earle, S., Pizzi, R., Shaw, K.J., Grant, R.A., Geary, M. (2022) 'Factors affecting the survival of harbor (Phoca vitulina) and gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) juveniles admitted for rehabilitation in the UK and Ireland.' Marine Mammal Science, 39(2) pp. 462-480.
Clear, E., Grant, R.A., Carroll, M., Brassey, C.A. (2022) 'A Review and Case Study of 3D Imaging Modalities for Female Amniote Reproductive Anatomy.' Integrative and Comparative Biology, 62(3) pp. 542-558.
Simanaviciute, U., Brown, R.E., Wong, A., Fertan, E., Grant, R.A. (2022) 'Abnormal whisker movements in the 3xTg-AD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.' Genes, Brain and Behavior, 21(8) pp. e12813-e12813.
Starostin, E.L., Dougill, G., Grant, R.A., Goss, V.G.A. (2022) 'Morphological peculiarities of a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) whisker revealed by normal skeletonisation.' Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 17(3) pp. 034001-034001.
Delaunay, M.G., Charter, M., Grant, R.A. (2022) 'Anatomy of bristles on the nares and rictus of western barn owls (Tyto alba).' Journal of Anatomy, 241(2) pp. 527-534.
Grant, R.A., Taraborrelli, L., Allen, T. (2022) 'Morphometrics for sports mechanics: Showcasing tennis racket shape diversity.' PLoS One, 17(1)
Milne, A.O., Orton, L., Black, C.H., Jones, G.C., Sullivan, M., Grant, R.A. (2021) 'California sea lions employ task-specific strategies for active touch sensing.' Journal of Experimental Biology, 224(21) pp. jeb243085-jeb243085.
Mynett, N., Mossman, H.L., Huettner, T., Grant, R.A. (2021) 'Diversity of vibrissal follicle anatomy in cetaceans.' The Anatomical Record, 305(3) pp. 609-621.
Milne, A.O., Muchlinski, M.N., Orton, L.D., Sullivan, M.S., Grant, R.A. (2021) 'Comparing vibrissal morphology and infraorbital foramen area in pinnipeds.' The Anatomical Record, 305(3) pp. 556-567.
Grant, R.A., Goss, V.G.A. (2021) 'What can whiskers tell us about mammalian evolution, behaviour, and ecology?.' Mammal Review, 52(1) pp. 148-163.
Landreth, K., Simanaviciute, U., Fletcher, J., Grayson, B., Grant, R., Harte, M.H., Gigg, J. (2021) 'Dissociating the effects of distraction and proactive interference on object memory through tests of novelty preference.' Brain and Neuroscience Advances, 5pp. 1-1.
Allen, T., Grant, R., Mohr, S., Shepherd, J. (2020) 'Measuring behavior in sport and exercise.' Sports Engineering, 23(1)
Dougill, G., Starostin, E.L., Milne, A.O., van der Heijden, G.H.M., Goss, V.G.A., Grant, R.A. (2020) 'Ecomorphology reveals Euler spiral of mammalian whiskers.' Journal of Morphology, 281(10) pp. 1271-1279.
Khayat, R.O.S., Grant, R.A., Ryan, H., Melling, L.M., Dougill, G., Killick, D.R., Shaw, K.J. (2020) 'Investigating cat predation as the cause of bat wing tears using forensic DNA analysis.' Ecology and Evolution, 10(15) pp. 8368-8378.
Khayat, R., Shaw, K., Mead, C., Ryan, H., Dougill, G., Melling, L., Grant, R. (2020) 'Measuring the effect of wing tears on flight in common pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus).' Mammal Communications, 6
Delaunay, M.G., Larsen, C., Lloyd, H., Sullivan, M., Grant, R.A. (2020) 'Anatomy of avian rictal bristles in Caprimulgiformes reveals reduced tactile function in open-habitat, partially diurnal foraging species.' Journal of Anatomy, 237(2) pp. 355-366.
Riedel, G., Grant, R., Sullivan, M., Spink, A. (2020) 'Preface: Special issue on Measuring Behaviour 2018..' Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 337pp. 108681-108681.
Milne, A.O., Smith, C., Orton, L.D., Sullivan, M.S., Grant, R.A. (2020) 'Pinnipeds orient and control their whiskers: a study on Pacific walrus, California sea lion and Harbor seal.' Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 206(3) pp. 441-451.
Starostin, E.L., Grant, R.A., Dougill, G., van der Heijden, G.H.M., Goss, V.G.A. (2020) 'The Euler spiral of rat whiskers.' Science Advances, 6(3) pp. eaax5145-eaax5145.
Simanaviciute, U., Ahmed, J., Brown, R.E., Connor-Robson, N., Farr, T.D., Fertan, E., Gambles, N., Garland, H., Morton, A.J., Staiger, J.F., Skillings, E.A., Trueman, R.C., Wade-Martins, R., Wood, N.I., Wong, A.A., Grant, R.A. (2019) 'Recommendations for measuring whisker movements and locomotion in mice with sensory, motor and cognitive deficits..' Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 331pp. 108532-108532.
Taraborrelli, L., Grant, R., Sullivan, M., Choppin, S., Spurr, J., Haake, S., Allen, T. (2019) 'Materials have driven the historical development of the Tennis Racket.' Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 9(20)
Barbera, A.M., Delaunay, M.G., Dougill, G., Grant, R.A. (2019) 'Paw Morphology in the Domestic Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) and Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus).' Anatomical Record, 302(12) pp. 2300-2310.
Gillespie, D., Yap, M.H., Hewitt, B.M., Driscoll, H., Simanaviciute, U., Hodson-Tole, E.F., Grant, R.A. (2019) 'Description and validation of the LocoWhisk system: Quantifying rodent exploratory, sensory and motor behaviours.' Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 328pp. 108440-108440.
Khayat, R.O.S., Shaw, K.J., Dougill, G., Melling, L.M., Ferris, G.R., Cooper, G., Grant, R.A. (2019) 'Characterizing wing tears in common pipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus): investigating tear distribution, wing strength, and possible causes.' Journal of Mammalogy, 100(4) pp. 1282-1294.
Taraborrelli, L., Grant, R., Sullivan, M., Choppin, S., Spurr, J., Haake, S., Allen, T. (2019) 'Recommendations for estimating the moments of inertia of a tennis racket.' Sports Engineering, 22(11) pp. 1-9.
Grant, R., Wong, A., Fertan, E., Brown, R. (2018) 'Whisker exploration behaviours in the 5xFAD mouse are affected by sex and retinal degeneration.' Genes, Brain and Behavior, 19(3) pp. e12532-e12532.
Muchlinski, M.N., Wible, J.R., Corfe, I., Sullivan, M., Grant, R.A. (2018) 'Good Vibrations: the evolution of whisking in small mammals.' Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology, 303(1) pp. 89-99.
Grant, R.A., Breakell, V., Prescott, T.J. (2018) 'Whisker touch sensing guides locomotion in small, quadrupedal mammals.' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1880)
Garland, H., Wood, N.I., Skillings, E.A., Detloff, P.J., Morton, A.J., Grant, R.A. (2017) 'Characterisation of progressive motor deficits in whisker movements in R6/2, Q175 and Hdh knock-in mouse models of Huntington's disease..' Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 300pp. 103-111.
Hewitt, B.M., Yap, M.H., Hodson-Tole, E.F., Kennerley, A.J., Sharp, P.S., Grant, R.A. (2017) 'A novel automated rodent tracker (ART), demonstrated in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis..' Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 300pp. 147-156.
Grant, R.A., Arkley, K., Tiktak, G., Breakell, V., Prescott, T.J. (2017) 'Whisker touch guides canopy exploration in a nocturnal, arboreal rodent, the Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius).' Journal of Comparative Physiology A,
Grant, R.A., Delaunay, M.G., Haidarliu, S. (2016) 'Mystacial whisker layout and musculature in the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus): a social, diurnal mammal.' Anatomical Record, 300(3) pp. 527-536.
Kendall, R., Howard, L., Master, N., Grant, R.A. (2016) 'THE IMPACT OF ELEPHANT ENDOTHELIOTROPIC HERPESVIRUS ON THE CAPTIVE ASIAN ELEPHANT (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS) POPULATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND (1995-2013).' Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine,
Hewitt, B., Yap, M.H., Grant, R.A. (2016) 'Manual Whisker Annotator (MWA): A Modular Open-Source Tool.' Journal of Open Research Software, 4(1) pp. e16-e16.
Grant, R.A., Cielen, N., Maes, K., Heulens, N., Galli, G., Janssens, W., Gayan-Ramirez, G., Degens, H. (2016) 'The effects of smoking on whisker movements: a quantitative measure of exploratory behaviour in rodents.' Behavioural Processes, 128pp. 17-23.
Milne, A.O., Grant, R.A. (2014) 'Characterisation of whisker control in the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) during a complex, dynamic sensorimotor task.' Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 200
Arkley, K., Grant, R.A., Mitchinson, B., Prescott, T.J. (2014) 'Strategy change in vibrissal active sensing during rat locomotion..' Curr Biol, 24(13) pp. 1507-1512.
Grant, R.A., Itskov, P.M., Towal, R.B., Prescott, T.J. (2014) 'Active touch sensing: finger tips, whiskers, and antennae.' Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 8
Grant, R.A., Sharp, P.S., Kennerley, A.J., Berwick, J., Grierson, A., Ramesh, T., Prescott, T.J. (2013) 'Abnormalities in whisking behaviour are associated with lesions in brain stem nuclei in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis..' Behav Brain Res, 259pp. 274-283.
Grant, R.A., Haidarliu, S., Kennerley, N.J., Prescott, T.J. (2013) 'The evolution of active vibrissal sensing in mammals: evidence from vibrissal musculature and function in the marsupial opossum Monodelphis domestica..' J Exp Biol, 216(Pt 18) pp. 3483-3494.
Grant, R., Wieskotten, S., Wengst, N., Prescott, T., Dehnhardt, G. (2013) 'Vibrissal touch sensing in the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina): How do seals judge size?.' Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology, 199(6) pp. 521-533.
Grant, R.A., Sperber, A.L., Prescott, T.J. (2012) 'The role of orienting in vibrissal touch sensing..' Front Behav Neurosci, 6
Grant, R.A., Mitchinson, B., Prescott, T.J. (2012) 'The development of whisker control in rats in relation to locomotion..' Dev Psychobiol, 54(2) pp. 151-168.
Prescott, T., Mitchinson, B., Grant, R. (2011) 'Vibrissal behavior and function.' Scholarpedia, 6(10) pp. 6642-6642.
Mitchinson, B., Grant, R.A., Arkley, K., Rankov, V., Perkon, I., Prescott, T.J. (2011) 'Active vibrissal sensing in rodents and marsupials..' Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 366(1581) pp. 3037-3048.
Grant, R.A., Mitchinson, B., Fox, C.W., Prescott, T.J. (2009) 'Active touch sensing in the rat: anticipatory and regulatory control of whisker movements during surface exploration..' J Neurophysiol, 101(2) pp. 862-874.
Mitchinson, B., Martin, C.J., Grant, R.A., Prescott, T.J. (2007) 'Feedback control in active sensing: rat exploratory whisking is modulated by environmental contact..' Proc Biol Sci, 274(1613) pp. 1035-1041.
-
Non-peer reviewed articles / reviews
-
Conference papers
Grant, R., Dougill, G., Lepora, N. (2021) 'Species-specific whisker morphology affects tactile interactions.' In 2021 IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC). IEEE World Haptics Conference (WHC). Montreal, QC, Canada, 6/7/2021 - 9/7/2021. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9517173,
Dougill, G., Starostin, E., van der Heijden, G., Goss, G., Grant, R. (2019) 'Mammalian Whiskers and the Euler Spiral.' In International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology. 280. Prague, 21/7/2019 - 25/7/2019. Wiley,
Allen, T.B., Grant, R., Sullivan, M., Taraborrelli, L., Choppin, S., Spurr, J., Haake, S. (2018) 'Recommendations for Measuring Tennis Racket Parameters.' In The 12th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association. 2. Queensland, Australia, 26/3/2018 - 29/3/2018. MDPI,
Career history
2024 - Present
Editor-in-chief Mammal Review
2022-Present
Reader in Comparative Physiology and Behaviour, Manchester Metropolitan University
2017-2022
Senior Lecturer in Comparative Physiology and Behaviour, Manchester Metropolitan University
2014-Present
Lifelong Fellow Software Sustainability Institute
2012-2017
Lecturer in Environmental Physiology, Manchester Metropolitan University
2011-2012
Associate Lecturer in Biopsychology, Open University
2011-2012
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Sheffield
2010-2011
Postdoctoral Researcher, Marine Science Center, University of Rostock
2008 - 2012
Research Project Manager, BIOTACT, University of Sheffield
2006 - 2010
PhD Neuroethology, University of Sheffield
2002-2005
BSc Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology, University of Plymouth
Press and media
TV
- Canadian Discovery Channel, The Daily Planet. 2010
- Your Hairness. 2011
- BBC Springwatch. 2012
- Beyond Production Company, Wild But True. 2014
- Work featured on Autumnwatch (2015, 2016)
- BBC Ingenious Animals. 2016
Radio
- Local Radio (2012-Present)
- Talk Radio Paul Ross Show. 2018
- BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast Show. 2019
- Radio documentary for Digital Planet on BBC World Service. 2020
Podcasts
- Marine Mammal Science Podcast (3 podcasts on whiskers) 2021
- Tumble Podcast: “whisking away” and “The science of whiskers” 2018
- Natural History Museum Live YouTube Channel and Podcast 2018