EMPSEB 31
@empseb.bsky.social
31st European Meeting of PhD Students in Evolutionary Biology (EMPSEB) 🌍 By PhD students, for PhD students → since 1995! 🧬 empsebconf.github.io/index.html
So many faces, one amazing EMPSEB31 community! 💚 A huge thank you to everyone in this photo for making EMPSEB31 so special. Want to get to know some of the people behind these faces? 👀 Head over to Instagram @empsebconf and check out our Participant Spotlights! 📸🔬
Thank you to Dr. Edyta Sadowska for an interesting keynote exploring how physiology helps us understand the strategies animals use to cope with environmental challenges. From bank voles to zebra finches, her research highlighted how metabolism and life-history trade-offs can shape adaptation. 👏🧬🐭🐦
A huge thank you to Wiley Ecology and Evolution for sponsoring four €100 poster awards, and to @physaliacourses.bsky.social for providing the Best Overall Poster presenter, Tim David, with a free course! Congratulations to all our winners and everyone who presented at #EMPSEB31! 👏🧬
🎉 Congratulations to Temitope Oriowo for receiving the Evolution Letters–EMPSEB Award for Second Best Oral Presentation, with a €200 prize! 🏆 Temitope presented on population genomics and sex chromosome evolution in 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴. Thank you to Evolution Letters for supporting early-career researchers!
🎉 The AllGenetics EMPSEB €500 Award goes to Leopold Preuß, who impressed the audience with his presentation, "Of Bees and BOOMs – The evolution of a nutritional mutualism between Wolbachia and solitary bees."🏆 Thank you, AllGenetics, for supporting early-career researchers. 👏 #phd #EMPSEB #evolution
Thank you to Prof. Jonathan Henshaw for his engaging keynote, exploring how theoretical models can predict the evolution of diverging sex roles with anisogamy as the only initial asymmetry. It was also a pleasure to welcome back a fellow EMPSEB alumnus as one of our keynote speakers!
Our scientific writing discussion brought participants together to share experiences and discuss different aspects of writing and publishing scientific research. Thank you to Dr. Abderrahman Khila for leading the discussion and sharing his insights with EMPSEB31! #PhD #EMPSEB #writing #publishing
Workshop recap | Ethics in Ecology and Evolution A big thank you to Dr. Edyta Sadowska for leading such an engaging workshop on ethics in ecology and evolution. The interactive group exercises encouraged participants to consider ethical research as a complex, multi-factorial topic.👏 #ethics #biology
EMPSEB highlight | Birding A big thank you to Dr. Jonathan Henshaw for leading our birdwatching excursion! 🐦 It was a fantastic opportunity to explore the local biodiversity and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Oberwiesenthal. #birding #EMPSEB #phdstudent
🕷️ A BIG thank you to Prof. Mariella Herberstein for a fascinating keynote about spider-ant mimicry. She also shared how collaboration within her research group plays a central role, because science is not just research, but its community. #EMPSEB #mimicry #togetherstronger #research #evolution
EMPSEB highlights | Poster Session From evolution and ecology to genomics and more, our poster session showcased the incredible diversity of research presented at EMPSEB31. Thank you to all our presenters for sharing their work. 🌍🔬
Dr. Abderrahman Khila gave a fascinating keynote on the developmental genetics of water striders, discussing how genes shape their distinctive long legs and the behaviours that allow them to compete on the water's surface.🌊 #EMPSEB #PhD #genetics #evolutionarybiology #developmentalbiology
EMPSEB 31 Highlights!🎉 We kicked off EMPSEB 31 with a thought-provoking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) session led by Prof. Dr. Mariella Herberstein. A great way to begin 5 days of science and community! #PhD #Evolution #Ecology #DEI
Great week at #EMPSEB31 in Oberwiesenthal, Germany! I presented a poster on the evolution of a withanolide biosynthetic gene cluster in Solanaceae and gave a talk on contrasting evolutionary outcomes of anthocyanin biosynthesis: complete loss in Cucurbitaceae and pathway rewiring in Poaceae. 🌱🧬
Supporting the next generation of experimental biologists 🧪 EMPSEB 31 is grateful for the support of The Society for Experimental Biology — an international scientific society dedicated to advancing experimental biology and fostering collaboration.
Precision meets innovation 🔬 EMPSEB 31 is excited to highlight the support of PyroScience - specialists in advanced optical sensor technology for oxygen, pH, and temperature measurements across biological and environmental research and industrial applications.🐜🐜🐜
Poster Prizes Is your poster ready? We have several prizes lined up from @physaliacourses.bsky.social & Wiley Ecology and Evolution!
🎤 Talk Prizes EMPSEB31 is around the corner… now it’s time to bring your presentation A-game 🔥Generous prize contributions will be available: 🏆 Best Talk – €500 from AllGenetics EMPSEB award 🥈 Second Best Talk – €200 from Evolution Letters 🥉 Third Best Talk – €100 from Wiley Ecology and Evolution
EMPSEB 31 is grateful for the support of the Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft🌿DBG promotes plant research, scientific exchange, and the next generation of plant scientists. Join them and take part in their next annual meeting, Botanik-Tagung 2026! Abstract deadline: May 31st🌱 #DBG #PlantScience
🎭 Attending EMPSEB? Got a creative twist on science? Get a chance to win one of three Zymo-EMPSEB awards, all kindly provided by Zymo Research Europe. 🏆 Best Alternative Presentation – €250 🥈 Second Place – €150 🥉 Third Place – €100 Send us an email at empsebconf@gmail.com to participate!
🌍💻 Join our Invasion Genomics in R course, 12–16 Oct! Explore movement, adaptation & environment-driven evolution in invasive species. Recorded lectures, self-guided practicals & live support across time zones. Learn #Rstats & #Genomics from @angmcgaughran.bsky.social shorturl.at/Inn7j
INVASION GENOMICS IN R
12–14- 15 October 2026
physalia-courses.org
Heading to EMPSEB31? We’re giving away five €200 prizes in a lottery for attendees who arrive by train (including to our official shuttle cities). The Company of Biologists generously funds the prize money for this sustainability initiative. Lower your footprint and get a chance to win €200. 🌍
✍️Good news! You can now request invoice-based payment directly in the registration form or via email 🚌 Planning to take the conference shuttle? Register because seats are filling up fast! ⏰ Shuttles will tentatively depart between 9–11 AM on June 8 (final details after registration closes).
We are excited to see participants getting ready for EMPSEB31! 🏃♀️ Registration opens March 9th. 🎉
Dr. Abderrahman Khila will lead the workshop Life in Academia, discussing topics related to navigating the publishing process, choosing host labs and projects, your training path, and reflecting on the steps toward securing future positions. Join us to explore academia beyond your own experience🌱
Empseb is simply the best. If you're a PhD student of evolutionary biology, do go there!
EMPSEB 31@empseb.bsky.social · 8mo ago📢 The Call for Abstracts for #EMPSEB31 is now open! 🔗 Full details & submission info on our website. ✈️ Applying for an ESEB Travel Grant? ⏰ Abstract deadline for travel-grant applicants: January 15, 2026 ⏳ General abstract deadline: February 1, 2026 #EvoBio #PhD #EMPSEB31
Ethics is not an add-on to science. 🧠💭 EMPSEB is committed to helping early-stage researchers strive for ethical practices in science. Dr. Edyta Sadowska will head a workshop on ethics in ecology and evolution and discuss the actions we must take to make our science responsible! ⚖️ 🧬🦦🌿
Worried you might miss the EMPSEB 31 abstract submission deadline? Fret not, because we have decided to extend the deadline! Send us your abstracts till February 15, 2026! Mark this one on your calendars so you don't forget!
