European IUSSI meeting – July 7 to 11, 2024 in Switzerland

Dear social insect lovers, dear friends and colleagues,

We are excited to host the European meeting of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 7th to 11th July 2024.

The meeting will bring together researchers working on a diverse range of topics including (but not limited to) reproductive strategies, collective behaviour, division of labour, neuroethology, social genetics and genomics, disease and immunity, chemical ecology, morphology and systematics, evolution, biodiversity, community ecology, climate-change responses, and biogeography of social insects in a stimulating and friendly atmosphere. The full list of symposia can be found here https://wp.unil.ch/iussi-europe-2024/symposia/list-of-symposia/
If your work does not fit with any of the proposed symposia, you may submit an abstract to the open sessions.

Please note: The deadline for abstracts is February 15, 2024! To submit your abstract, follow this link.

We will be hosted by the University of Lausanne, which is ideally located next to the lake of Geneva, with some sandy beaches and many cafes and summer bars installed along the lakeside. In July, the weather is usually sunny and temperatures around 25 °C, allowing you to enjoy swimming in the lake. The famous UNESCO-heritage Lavaux vineyards are close by, and the mountains (Alps and Jura mountains) can be reached within less than one hour.

The registration for the conference will include three and a half days for scientific sessions, plenaries and posters, a half day for excursions in our region, a welcome reception, and a banquet on the final evening.
More details on our half-day excursions that include a boat ride and visit to the Chillon castle, a hike and panoramic view on Rocher-de-Naye, a visit to a supercolony of wood ants or wine tasting in Lavaux (you will need to pick your favorites!) can be found here: https://wp.unil.ch/iussi-europe-2024/excursions/

Our invited plenary speakers are Bonnie Blaimer (MfN Berlin, Germany), Daniel Kronauer (Rockefeller University, USA), Lars Chittka (Queen Mary University, UK), Patrizia d’Ettorre (University Paris Sorbonne Nord, France), and Susanne Foitzik (University of Mainz, Germany).

On behalf of the organizing committee, I invite you to join us in Lausanne in 2024 and help us make this meeting amazing.

Cleo Bertelsmeier
President of the French IUSSI section
Professor at the Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne