ECBB 2024 - LONG-TERM STUDIES IN ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
European Conference on Behavioural Biology July 16th – 19th 2024, Zurich, Switzerland
Join us for ECBB 2024, a joint meeting with the 2024 Summer Meeting of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB). The theme of this conference is 'Long-term studies in animal behaviour'. Come hear more about these and many other topics in behavioural biology.
Image by Christel from Pixabay
About the ECBB 2024 venue
© University Zürich
The conference venue is the Irchel Campus of the University of Zurich. Zurich is a vibrant and friendly city of international flair and cosy atmosphere in the middle of Europe. Irchel Campus is the main home of the Faculty of Science, and provides excellent facilities including lecture theaters and a large cafeteria (known as a mensa). The campus is centrally located and within easy reach of all parts of Zurich, via frequent trams and buses.
Organising Committee
Damien Farine
Anna Lindholm
Lucy Aplin
Marta Manser
Plenary Speakers
Professor Barbara Koenig
Barbara Koenig is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She has served as the president of the German Zoological Society, and secretary general of the International Council of Ethology, and is a board member of the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences.
Barbara Koenig is best known for her long-term study of wild house mice, which her and her colleagues have been following since 2003. Her work on cooperation and social behaviour has revealed the significance of social interactions and communal nursing for fitness, and explored the genetic, endocrine, and neural mechanisms underlying sociality.
Associate Professor Christina Riehl
Christina Riehl is an associate professor at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, USA, and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Princeton’s High Meadows Environmental Institute and Princeton’s Program in Latin American Studies. She is a fellow of the American Ornithology Society, and received a National Science Foundation Career Award in 2019.
Christina Riehl heads a long-term research project on the cooperatively breeding greater ani in Panama. She studies breeding systems in birds, focusing on two main topics: the evolution of cooperative breeding in birds, and the co-evolution of avian brood parasites and their hosts. These studies have revealed how individuals divide labour and manage workloads within cooperative breeding groups, and elucidated the evolutionary routes that can lead to cooperation between unrelated individuals.
Professor Timothy Clutton-Brock FRS
Tim Clutton-Brock heads the Large Animal Research Group at the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, U.K., where he was formerly the Prince Philip Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and is a fellow of Magdalene College. He is a fellow of the Royal Society, and has received multiple awards including the Royal Society Darwin medal in 2012 and an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Zurich in 2013.
Tim Clutton-Brock is best known for his long-term studies on the behavioural ecology of wild animal populations. This includes red deer on the Scottish island of Rum, Soay sheep on the Scottish island of St Kilda, and meerkats in the Kalahari in South Africa. These extraordinary studies have improved our understanding of multiple aspects of behavioural ecology including cooperative breeding, parental care, male-male competition, and the effect of density on selection.
Scientific Programme
The conference will start with an apéro and opening plenary talk in the late afternoon of the 16th July and finish with the ASAB medal plenary at lunch time of Friday the 19th July. Plenty of time and some events to enhance social interactions will be integrated over the days of the meeting. See below for a draft timetable.
Timetable
Tuesday 16th July, 2024
| Time | Session/Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16h30 - 16h40 | Welcome | TBA |
| 16h40 – 17h40 | Opening Plenary | TBA |
| 17h40 – 19h00 | Apéro | Foyer of Irchel Campus |
| 19:00 - | Student social | TBA |
Wednesday 17th July 2024
| Time | Session/Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 08h50 – 09h00 | Morning announcements | TBA |
| 09h00 – 10h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 10h30 – 11h00 | Morning tea | Foyer of Irchel Campus |
| 11h00 – 12h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 12h30 – 14h00 | Lunch | TBA |
| 14h00 – 15h00 | Plenary 2 | TBA |
| 15h00 – 15h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 15h30 – 16h15 | Afternoon tea | Foyer of Irchel Campus |
| 16h15 – 17h45 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 17h45 – 19h15 | Poster session | Foyer and galleries of Irchel Campus |
Thursday 18th July 2024
| Time | Session/Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 08h50 – 09h00 | Morning announcements | TBA |
| 09h00 – 10h00 | Plenary 3 | TBA |
| 10h00 – 10h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 10h30 – 11h00 | Morning tea | Foyer of Irchel Campus |
| 11h00 – 12h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 12h30 – 14h00 | Lunch | TBA |
| 14h00 – 15h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 15h30 – 16h30 | ASAB AGM | TBA |
| 16h30 – 18h00 | Poster session | Foyer and galleries of Irchel Campus |
| TBA – 23h30 | Conference dinner | TBA |
Friday 19th July 2024
| Time | Session/Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 09h30 – 10h30 | Parallel sessions | TBA |
| 10h30 – 11h00 | Morning tea | Foyer of Irchel Campus |
| 11h00 – 11h10 | Awards | TBA |
| 11h10 – 11h25 | Presentation of ASAB Medal | TBA |
| 11h25 – 12h15 | Tinbergen Award Talk | TBA |
| afterwards pm | possible excursions, zoo visit, potential workshops, ... | TBA |
Abstract Submission
Abstract submission is now open. You can submit your abstract by following this link (Google Form).
Abstract submissions deadline is extended and will close March 29th 2024 (23:59, CET).
Abstracts will be evaluated on the basis of originality, technical quality and clarity. Accepted contributions will then be selected for oral or poster presentations.
Registration
Registration is currently open. Early-bird registration will be available until May 10, 2024.
To register, click here. You will be re-directed to the University of Zurich Event Portal website that will process your registration and payment.
Registration costs will be as follows:
| Early Bird | Late | |
|---|---|---|
| Student | 300 CHF | 350 CHF |
| Non-student | 400 CHF | 450 CHF |
Registration will include access to all talk sessions, poster sessions, conference meals (including lunch, with vegan and vegetarian options), and the conference dinner.
Cancellation policy
For cancellations before 11 May 2024, the full registration fee will be refunded (minus administrative costs). For cancellations between May 11 and June 16, 50% will be refunded (minus administrative costs). For cancellations after 16 June 2024, there will be no refund.
Travel grant
We remind attendees that ASAB and Ethologische Gesellschaft e.V. (EthoGes) provide generous travel grants for attendees. For more information and to apply, please visit the ASAB website or EthoGes website.
Childcare
We have organized professional childcare near the conference rooms. Please send an email to info.ecbb@ieu.uzh.ch with subject heading “Childcare” if you are interested in childcare during the conference, and we will contact you. Childcare must be organized in advance. Babies from 4 months of age can be cared for, up to school age children.
The cost per child depends on the age of the child and how many staff are needed overall. We are looking to subsidise these childcare costs, and we can do so effectively when we have an estimate of the childcare demand..
Travel
by plane
© Flughafen Zürich AG
From Zurich Airport
Go to the bus/tram station and take the tram nr 10. Exit at "Milchbuck" or "Universität Irchel" (about 21min) and walk to the main entry (5min).
by public transportation
© Flughafen Zürich AG
bus/tram
There are 2 bus/tram stations to reach the University Campus Irchel ("Milchbuck" or"Universität Zürich Irchel") and several bus/tram lines can be used. Tram : 7/9/10/14 Bus 69/72/83
by car
Parking
There is a parking place at the Irchel Campus. Use a navigation system to target "Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich. Use the elevator to the top floor and turn to the right. You will see then the main entry of the Irchel Campus. Keep in mind there are no free parking possibilitys in Zurich and the parking fees are expensive (about 20.- per day).
How to find us
The conference venue is the University of Zurich, Campus Irchel.
University of Zurich
Winterthurerstrasse 190
8057 Zurich
Switzerland