Jean-Christophe Billeter is a neurogeneticist with training in behavioral biology,molecular genetics,pheromonal communication and neurobiology. The key question in his work is how genes and the environment interact at the mechanistic level to influence behavior. He seeks to answer this question by using the genetics of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has a gateway to the molecules and cells that control behavior. His group has a particular emphasis on the mechanisms underlying social and sexual behaviors,but also works on ultimate questions such as the evolution of parental effects and the impact of ecological interactions in the evolution of reproductive behaviors.