EDIA Overview
The role of the EDIA Committee is to provide leadership for ASAB and its members, to encourage learning, discussion and understanding about EDIA, and provide support and opportunities to underrepresented groups
Who's on the EDIA Committee? →
See our Terms of Reference
WHAT WE DO?
New ASAB EDIA award
The ASAB EDIA Award is a new annual prize established to recognise individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility within the field of animal behaviour.
This award celebrates sustained and impactful efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive research culture, whether through teaching, mentorship, outreach, leadership, or research addressing equity-related challenges.
By highlighting and rewarding such contributions, the EDIA Award aims to promote best practice, raise awareness of barriers faced by underrepresented groups, and inspire continued progress towards a more equitable discipline.
Nominations (including self-nominations) are welcome from across the animal behaviour community, and we strongly encourage recognition of those whose work is helping to foster belonging and broaden participation in our field.ASAB Winter Meeting 2024: Addressing Biases in Animal Behaviour
In 2024, we organised the ASAB Winter Meeting, focused on the theme ‘Addressing Biases in Animal Behaviour’ (https://asabwinter2024.github.io/#programme). The meeting brought together a global community of researchers to critically examine how biases shape animal behaviour research and to explore pathways towards more robust, fair, and inclusive science.
Recognising the impacts of these biases presents an opportunity for positive change. At the ASAB Winter Meeting 2024, participants explored biases operating at multiple levels of animal behaviour research and discussed comprehensive, system‑level changes towards fairness and the inclusion of diverse perspectives.
The meeting was run in a hybrid format, with approximately 250 in‑person attendees and 150 virtual participants, alongside several local ‘hublets’ hosted in Austria, Belgium, India, France, and Wales. In total, the meeting welcomed attendees from 32 countries, reflecting the truly international nature of the discussion. The scientific programme featured 114 contributions, spanning a wide range of taxa, methods, and conceptual approaches.
The organising committee of the ASAB winter meeting 2024. From left to right: Nicola Koyaman, Vivek Nityananda, Claudia Wascher, Cédric Aumont and Chiara Benvenuto
A major outcome of the meeting was a special issue published in Animal Behaviour, featuring papers arising from and beyond the Winter Meeting (https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/10DZ7VTHTX6). The special issue captures the breadth of work presented and reflects the meeting’s central aim of generating new insights by addressing bias, strengthening methodological rigour, and promoting inclusivity within animal behaviour research.
Special issue published in Animal Behaviour
The ASAB EDIA Committee supported the 2025 PSGB Field Skills Workshop (https://www.psgb.org/pages/psgb-field-skills-workshop)
The workshop is intended to promote inclusive access to high‑quality, practical field training in animal behaviour and related disciplines. The workshop aligns with the Committee’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility by helping to reduce barriers to participation, build confidence and skills among early‑career researchers, and foster a supportive and inclusive fieldwork culture.
Impressions from the widening participation field skills workshop 2025
Women in science and LGBTQIA+ showcase
In collaboration with the education committee, we ran initiatives to highlight and celebrate the contributions of women scientists and LGBTQIA+ researchers within animal behaviour and related disciplines. These initiatives aim to amplify underrepresented voices, showcase diverse career paths, and provide visible role models for current and future scientists.
Impressions from the Women and Girls in Science initiative
Impressions from the LGBTQIA+ initiative
Interested in participating? E-mail the EDIA secretary to join the committee!