Michael Dickinson received a Ph. D. in zoology at the University of Washington in 1989. In 1991 he became an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, before moving to University of California, Berkeley in 1996. From 2002-2011, Michael served as the Abe and Esther Zarem Professor of Bioengineering at Caltech. In 2011, he moved to the University of Washington and is currently the Ben Hall Professor of Basic Life Sciences. Michael uses a multidisciplinary approach to study the flight behavior of insects that integrates neurobiology, biomechanics, aerodynamics, and behavior. His awards include the Larry Sandler Award from the Genetics Society of America, the Bartholemew Award for Comparative Physiology, a Packard Foundation Fellowship in Science and Engineering, and the Quantrell award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. In 2001, he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. In 2008, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.