The evolutionary arms race between parasites and their hosts can culminate into complex extended phenotypes that further disease progression and transmission. The fungus-adaptive changes in behaviour as seen in Ophiocordyceps-infected carpenter ants are a prime example. These "zombie ants" demonstrate a suite of behaviours that are thought to circumvent the colony's social immune responses. Subsequently, the hijacked ant climbs and attaches itself to an elevated position that benefits fungal spore development and dispersal, and does so with a precise daily timing. These fungus-induced behaviours are not unique to Ophiocordyceps infections. Parallel behaviours have also been observed in invertebrates infected by other fungi, viruses and trematodes. The precise mechanisms involved in these behavioural manipulations are unknown. To unravel these mechanisms, we have developed the Ophiocordyceps-ant interaction into an integrative model system that allows us to study parasitic behavioural manipulation in greater detail in the lab. By combining fungal culturing and lab infections with behavioural assays and multiple omics approaches, we propose several comprehensive mechanistic hypotheses about the fungal proteins and ant receptors involved in this phenomenon. These hypotheses include specific fungal "manipulation" effectors of interest and their potential binding to ant proteins involved in light perception, biogenic amine binding and daily rhythms. To test these hypotheses, we are currently, for the first time in this model, integrating functional genetics assays to determine the function of presumed fungal "manipulation" effectors, the host behaviours they elicit, and the host pathways underlying those phenotypes. Our results will provide detailed insights into fungus-insect interactions in general while advancing our understanding of parasitic hijacking of animal behaviour in particular. Moreover, the evident role of biological clocks in these interactions paves the way to study antagonistic organismic interactions at their intersection with the field of chronobiology. We expect our findings to have a translational impact on more sustainable insect pest control practices while our investigations into fungal bioactive proteins and metabolites and their host targets might give rise to the discovery of novel drugs.