Research in the Hughes Lab is in four main areas: 

1) Evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology. We are interested in the evolution of sociality, host-parasite and symbiont relationships, cooperation and conflict in social groups, and the causes and consequences of animal 'personalities'. We combine experimental and comparative approaches, mainly using social insects (ants and bees).

2) Bee health and behaviour. We study bee diseases, their interactions with stressors and beneficial symbionts, and behaviour, in both wild bee populations and managed bee colonies, working primarily with honeybees and bumblebees.

3) Chemical ecology and applied entomology. Our work investigates methods for better targeted and more environmentally sustainable control of insect pests, using pheromones and other semiochemicals, biocontrol agents, and disruption of microbial mutualists.

4) Sharks and marine conservation. We study the behaviour and ecology of sharks, and marine conservation in general. Our work has included field observations with white sharks, lab experiments with catsharks, and the use of large-scale, long-term citizen science datasets.