Council Positions Available

Several positions are available on ASAB Council to begin in January 2024 (or earlier). 

The positions are: ASAB Secretary, Communications Officer, and a new role of Social Media Officer. 

If you are interested in being nominated for one of these positions, and contributing the work of ASAB, please send a 150 word statement outlining your motivation, experience and suitability for the role, to the current ASAB Secretary, Prof Paula Stockley (p.stockley@liv.ac.uk) by May 31st 2023. 

Your nomination should be supported by at least two members of the Association, also by email to p.stockley@liv.ac.uk by May 31st 2023. 

Nominated candidates will be put forward for an online election by the membership. Council may nominate candidates and reserves the right to add nominations after the closing date in the event of a lack of suitable candidates. Council also reserves the right to generate a short-list of not less than three candidates per position for online elections.

Reasonable expenses are reimbursed to support attendance at Council meetings and associated ASAB conferences, and a small annual research grant is provided for ASAB Council Officers in support of animal behaviour research activity. 

Further information on the roles is outlined below.

Best regards,
Paula Stockley (ASAB Secretary)

Further information 

ASAB Secretary and Trustee

The role involves organising and attending ASAB Council meetings and annual general meetings, and contributing to the affairs and decision-making of Council as a Trustee. Council meetings coincide with the three annual ASAB conferences, the Spring, Summer and Winter Meetings. 

The ASAB Secretary will normally serve five calendar years, commencing 1st January. The outgoing Secretary will normally shadow the incoming Secretary for up to 12 months, and the role would ideally start before January 2024 with this support. 

For further details or to discuss the role, please contact the current Secretary: Prof Paula Stockley (p.stockley@liv.ac.uk)

ASAB Communications Officer

The Communications Officer will have primary responsibility for preparing the ASAB Newsletter and managing our website. The role also involves attending three ASAB Council meetings a year, and contributing to the affairs and decision-making of Council. Council meetings coincide with the three annual ASAB conferences, the Spring, Summer and Winter Meetings. 

The ASAB Communications Officer will normally serve three to five calendar years (depending on candidate’s preference!), commencing 1st January, although the role would ideally start before January 2024 with support from the outgoing Communications Officer. 

For further details or to discuss the role, please contact the current Communications Officer: Dr Kirsty Graham (keg4@st-andrews.ac.uk)

ASAB Social Media Officer 

The Social Media Officer will have primary responsibility for managing ASAB’s social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon. The role also involves attending three ASAB Council meetings a year, and contributing to the affairs and decision-making of Council. Council meetings coincide with the three annual ASAB conferences, the Spring, Summer and Winter Meetings. 

The ASAB Social Media Officer will normally serve three calendar years, commencing 1st January, although the role would ideally start before January 2024 with support from the outgoing Communications Officer. 

For further details or to discuss the role, please contact the current Communications Officer: Dr Kirsty Graham (keg4@st-andrews.ac.uk)

Spring Meeting 2023 Report

by Janire Castellano Bueno
Janire is a Scientific Events and Outreach Coordinator at Wild Animal Initiative and a postdoctoral researcher at Newcastle University, where she is working on primate welfare research.

The ASAB Bangor (28-30th March) was a resounding success, offering students an opportunity to connect with their peers, learn from experts in the field, and explore the diverse career paths available to them. The conference kicked off with a series of workshops on opportunities within and outside of academia, emphasizing the practical skills and knowledge gained through studying animal behavior. No matter the career path you want to follow in the future, the workshops provided some tips and encouragement for all!

The conference featured a lineup of exceptional plenary speakers, including Ines Furtbauer, who delivered an informative and engaging talk on behavioral endocrinology; David Fisher, whose social network analysis presentation offered valuable insights into animal behavior research; and Stephen Montgomery, who discussed neural elaboration and refinement. These plenary sessions provided students with a deeper understanding of the complexities of animal behavior, and inspired them to pursue their own research and academic interests.

However, it was not just the plenary sessions that impressed attendees; the talks and posters presented by the students were of an exceptionally high quality, with Euan Mortlock, Ella Ackroyd, and Laura Douglas taking home awards for Best Talk, Best Flash Talk, and Best Poster, respectively. The runner-ups, Eleanor Gourevitch and Helen Mylne, were also recognized for their outstanding contributions. The talent and dedication displayed by these students were truly impressive, and it was exciting to see such passion for animal behavior research in the next generation of scholars.

In addition to the educational sessions, the conference organizers also planned a fun and engaging social program, including an evening of Welsh folk music and dancing. A perfect way to socialize after a long day learning about animal behaviour! Overall, the conference was a wonderful experience for everyone involved in beautiful Bangor, despite the "far-from-ideal-weather". Hope to see you all next Spring!

Upcoming Meetings

The ecology, evolution, and conservation of interspecific cooperation
(Interdisciplinary workshop)

When: Thu, 6 July to Fri, 7 July
Where: in Cambridge and online

This workshop will bring together behavioural ecologists, anthropologists, linguists, researchers into human-wildlife cooperation and conservationists to compare non-human interspecific cooperation and human-wildlife cooperation. Topics to be included behavioural mechanisms, ecological drivers, population vulnerability and conservation strategies.

In principle, workshop attendance (either in person or online) is by invitation only, but if you work in this area and want to explore the possibility of attending, please contact the organiser, Jessica van der Wal at jessicavanderwal1(at)gmail(dot)com 

Behaviour (ASAB Summer) 2023

Visit the conference website for information and registration.

When: 14th to 20th August 2023 
Where: Bielefeld, Germany

Conference attendance grants up to £500: 1st June 2023 (see also childcare & accessibility grants)

Registration deadline: June 30th 2023

Bielefeld hosted the International Ethologicial Congress, as it was known back then, once before in 1977 and we are thrilled to try our best to make 2023 an equally exciting and stimulating event. To make this conference as integrative as possible, we aim to offer comparatively low conference fees. Please make sure to regularly check for updates on plenary speakers, symposia and other information. We are looking forward to meeting you in Bielefeld!

Biohybrid systems in Animal Behaviour (Interdisciplinary Workshop)

When: Wed, 6 Sept to Fri, 8 Sept
Where: Swansea University Singelton Campus

This workshop will explore the implications and use of novel technologies (robots, UAVs, etc.) in animal behaviour from three perspectives: [1] cooperation, [2] control, and [3] coexistence. For ‘cooperation’, we will discuss technology for advancing understanding fundamental topics such as mate choice, social learning, and collective behaviours. Under ‘control’ we will discuss the use of robots and UAVs for wildlife management and conservation. Under ‘coexistence’ we will discuss possibilities for augmenting physical or mental capabilities of humans and other animals.

If you would like to be kept up to date about this workshop, please contact the organisers, Marina Papadopoulou (marina.papadopoulou@swansea.ac.uk) and Andrew King (a.j.king@swansea.ac.uk)

ASAB Winter 2023

When: Wed, 13 Dec to Thu, 14 Dec
Where: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (map)

The ASAB Winter 2023 Meeting will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland! More information coming soon!

Conference attendance grants up to £500: 1st October 2023 (see also childcare & accessibility grants)

Grants News May 2023

The next Grants application deadlines are:

1st June 2023 for Research Grants and Undergraduate Project Scholarships

1st June 2023 for Conference Attendance, Childcare and Accessibility Grants for Behaviour 2023 to be held in Bielefeld, Germany (14th–20th August)  – please note that the deadline is already passed for the upper (‘Developing Country’) tranche of Conference Attendance Grants. Applicants from developing countries applying for smaller amounts (£500 or less) may apply in this round.

1st August 2023 for applications that include the upper (‘developing country’) tranche of Conference Attendance Grants for the ASAB Winter Meeting in Edinburgh, UK (13th-14th December). Those applying for the lower tranche, but requiring extra time to arrange a visa may also apply in this round.

Grants awarded in the February 2023 application round

Research Grants: 9 applications were received and 3 grants were awarded. The names of the awardees have not yet been reported to Council.

Undergraduate Project Scholarships: 7 eligible applications were received and 4 grants awarded. The names of the awardees have not yet been reported to Council.

Conference Attendance Grants: 42 eligible applications were received for the ASAB Spring 2023 in Bangor and all awarded, but 3 awardees subsequently withdrew. The total remaining amount awarded was £17,932.93 to 39 awardees.

Accessibility Grants: These grants contribute to additional attendance costs created by individual needs including - but not limited to - disability or medical needs for ASAB members attending ASAB conferences. No applications were received.

Childcare Grants: These grants contribute to the additional costs of childcare for ASAB members attending ASAB conferences. No applications were received.

‘Hublets’ in Developing Countries

‘Hublets’ are centres organised by ASAB members to enable members who are not able to attend an ASAB conference in person to gather and watch a live stream of the conference. In general, ASAB members wanting to organise a hublet should contact the Meetings Secretary, Joah Madden j.r.madden@exeter.ac.uk well ahead of the conference.

Those in ‘Developing Countries’ (‘Low’ or ‘Middle Income’ countries as defined by the World Bank (scroll down in the link)) may benefit especially from the opportunity to watch a streamed version of a conference, but face particular difficulties (such as slow unreliable internet) in organising a hublet. ASAB has decided to pilot the provision of small amounts of grant money to overcome such difficulties. Initially, we envisage a small number of local people attending a hublet. If you are interested in being involved in the pilot, please contact the Grants Secretary, Kate Lessells klessells.science@gmail.com

Another enthusiastic recipient of an ASAB Conference Attendance Grant

Göksel Keskin, a Turkish citizen and doctoral student at the Department of Biological Physics, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary writes: “Conferences are important for early career researchers to present their studies and develop a more extensive network. The annual ASAB spring conferences - organised with PhD students and post-docs in mind - are terrific opportunities in this respect. Finding the funds to attend a conference can often be tricky or involve a complicated process for PhD students. However, the generous conference grant provided by ASAB allowed me to attend my very first scientific meeting: the ASAB Spring Conference in Bangor, Wales. The grant also helped me in getting a visa, thanks to the extra effort of the ASAB Grants Secretary and the conference organisers. I'm delighted to encourage future participants from developing countries to apply for this grant. I’m incredibly thankful to ASAB for the funding and the unforgettable experience.

Education Committee News

Thank you to all the brilliant Women and Girls in (Animal Behaviour) Science who took part in our spring campaign. We had enough people to run all the way through February until International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. You can see all of our posts on Instagram @asabeducation

Pride Month is coming up and if you would like to be involved in our next set of showcase scientists on behalf of ASAB, please email Charlotte: education@asab.org. You can join in as a member of the LGBTQ+ community or as an ally.

Undergraduate Recognition Award

Congratulations to Lauren Vane from Bristol University, who as well as achieving top marks, produced a fantastic practical project on 'The impact of abiotic conditions on the activity of the European badger, Meles meles, as assessed by camera-trapping', Well done Lauren.

We want to award more undergraduate prizes… If you have a worthy undergraduate please nominate them here

Public Engagement Grant update

May the 4th was International Day of the Drill. James Bukie organised a splendid day to highlight the dangers faced by the drill monkeys. The event, held in Cross River State, Nigeria, included talks, short dramas, an original song by local legend SIDROCK and debates about the drills. The event was attended by young people, local leaders, NGOs and other members of the community.