Reproduction depends on many factors including mating behavior, feeding behavior, and, crucially, the ability to detect and respond to changes from external stimuli. Neuropeptides are signaling molecules known to be involved in many of these processes in both mammals and other organisms such as insects. For example, neuropeptide Y (NPY) in mammals has been shown to play important roles in feeding, metabolism, reproduction, and stress response, with similar roles shown for neuropeptide F (NPF), the insect ortholog of NPY. Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) are neuropeptides produced by the central nervous system (CNS) and have been shown to directly affect germline stem cell (GSC) proliferation, GSC adhesion to the niche, niche size, cyst growth and follicle cell proliferation, and vitellogenesis in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary. Insulin also play crucial roles in mammalian fertility and reproduction. Other neuropeptides such as short NPF (sNPF) and prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) have been proposed to play important roles in oogenesis and reproduction in insects. However, much of the connection between neuropeptides and oogenesis has remained unexplored. My project aims to fill this gap by using the well-characterized Drosophila ovary to identify and functionally characterize neuropeptides that affect oogenesis, either directly or indirectly. Many neuropeptides and their receptors have been conserved through evolution; therefore, the results will likely have broad relevance and lead to a greater understanding of how the brain and ovary interact in humans and other mammals to control reproduction.