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Jon Carruthers

A research technician from Biology and Environmental Science will be at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in Regent's Park on 16 June to receive its Charles Darwin Award for "an outstanding zoological project carried out and written by an undergraduate" in 2008.

Jonathan Carruthers won the £800 prize for his undergraduate project on cuckoo bumblebees, which he completed in his final year at the University of Sheffield.

Jon found that a chemical called dodecyl acetate - previously found in one cuckoo bumblebee species, which uses it to repel host workers while it invades their nest - is produced by a further two species.

The findings are going through a peer-review process and Jon hopes they will be published soon.

Members of the ZSL Awards Committee were unanimous in their decision that Jon's project was the deserving winner.

Jon says: "I'm thrilled to have won the prize, and looking forward to the ceremony."

Dr Libby John, head of the Biology and Environmental Science department, says: "This is an extremely prestigious award, and it is great that Jon is pursuing his career here at Sussex in our social insect group."