Mission Statement

Founded in 2024, the Collaborative for Animal Behavior (CoLAB) is a cross-disciplinary community of scholars united by a shared mission: to advance the scientific understanding of animal behavior in a rapidly changing world. By bridging departmental and institutional boundaries across the University of Tennessee, CoLAB fosters innovative, collaborative research aimed at positioning UT Knoxville as a national and global leader in its field. In addition to driving scientific discovery, we are deeply committed to excellence in mentorship and education, supporting postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates as they develop into the next generation of animal behaviorists