Animal behaviour

Aberystwyth University has been chosen to host the 2012 Easter Conference of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB).  This exciting meeting will bring together up to 150 scientists from across the UK and Europe from 11th-13th April next year.

Organised by Dr Rupert Marshall & Dr Roger Santer of IBERS (Institute for Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences), the meeting is an important event both in Wales and further afield, ASAB’s members comprising nearly 2000 scientists from across the world.

Dr Marshall, Lecturer in Animal Behaviour, commented “I am delighted that Aberystwyth’s excellence in the field of behavioural research has been recognised by being chosen to host this prestigious conference. We’re looking forward to welcoming international leaders in animal behaviour research to Aberystwyth.”

The conference includes vital training for postgraduate scientists – from using the latest technology to publishing their findings and establishing their careers.

Dr Santer, Lecturer in Zoology, said “ASAB’s Easter Conference is a great opportunity for early career scientists to present their latest research and find out about science-related resources available to them”

Aberystwyth’s excellence in research-led teaching on degree schemes in Animal Behaviour, Zoology and Marine & Freshwater Biology, have contributed to the University being placed 4th in the UK for student satisfaction among UK campus universities.  Indeed one of its graduates was recently named this year’s European Biology Student of the Year.

ASAB is the premiere international learned society for the study of animal behaviour and its members are widely consulted both by Government and by Natural History TV programme makers.  ASAB also has an active Educational programme and plays a central role in welfare issues, including the industry-standard for ethical use of animals in behavioural research.

Follow the conference on Facebook, “ASAB Easter Conference 2012”, and Twitter, “ASABEaster2012”.

About the Conference Organisers:

• Dr Rupert Marshall is Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at Aberystwyth University's Institute for Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS). His research centres around bird-song, signal evolution and sexual selection.
• Dr Roger Santer is Lecturer in Zoology at Aberystywyth University’s Institute for Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS). His research centres around the evolution of neural mechanisms underlying invertebrate behaviour.
• Both are members of the Aquatic, Behavioural, Evolutionary Biology research group http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/research/research-groups/abeb-new/

About ASAB:

ASAB was founded in 1936 to promote the study of animal behaviour, and membership is open to all who share this interest. There are now approximately 2000 members, the majority drawn from Britain and Europe. Many members are professional biologists who work in universities, research institutes or schools. ASAB owns “Animal Behaviour”, the leading international scientific journal in its field.  ASAB is a registered charity (no. 268494).