LATEST NEWS

The Evolution meeting organizers are pleased to issue this call for symposia proposals for the Third Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology, which will take place in Montreal, Canada, July 26-30, 2024.

The Congress merges the traditions of the participating societies: the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB); the American Society of Naturalists (ASN); the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB); and the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE). The sextennial Congress takes the place of the ESEB and Evolution Meetings in 2024, and it builds on the success of the previous Congresses in Ottawa in 2012 and Montpellier in 2018. 

The structure of this Congress will be unique. Roughly 40% of talks will be structured into symposia, following the traditional ESEB format. The remaining 60% of talks will be structured into general sessions according to topic, following the traditional Evolution meetings format. The success of the joint meeting therefore depends on the strength and range of the symposia complementing the standard sessions. 

We are now asking members of all four participating societies to submit symposium proposals.  This is an opportunity to create a session that pushes your field forward and draws new researchers into its orbit. Symposia play a special role in bringing together researchers from disparate disciplines and backgrounds and generating new integrative perspectives. Symposia should transcend the conventional themes of standard meeting sessions. The deadline for proposals is September 1, 2023. 

Learn more and submit your proposal here.

The GREG Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards are to assist students in the later stages of their PhD programs. Funds can be used to enhance the scope of dissertation research, such as to conduct additional experiments or field work. Awards up to $3500 will be granted. 

Student SSE members who will defend after September 15, 2024 and are either 1) in at least their 3rd year of a >4-year doctoral degree program 2) in the 2nd year of a 3-year program, or 3) otherwise deemed “advanced” by a letter from their advisor or graduate director, are eligible. Students should also confirm that the proposed work is outside the scope of other funding currently held by either the student or their advisor. This award is not limited to students in the United States and we welcome applications from our international members. Applicants do not have to be enrolled in an evolutionary biology program to apply, but proposals must address a topic in evolutionary biology. 

Learn more and apply.

Deadline: October 2, 2023

Register now for the SSE International Symposium for South Asia!

The symposium will be conducted via Zoom on Wednesday, August 2nd, from 9:30 - 15:00 India Standard Time (IST). Registration is free but required.

This symposium and workshop are part of the SSE International Symposia Series. This symposium is organized in collaboration with the Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists (ISEB). Participants will hear from featured speakers Vivek Keshri, Aritra Biswas, Mariam Mohammad Hashim, Pratibha Sanjenbam, Sudipta Tung, Ruchishree Konhar, Eapsa Berry, and Riddhiman Dhar. Following the talks, join a discussion of the challenges and opportunities of doing evolutionary biology research in South Asia.

Participants can gain insights on publishing in Evolution during a virtual workshop led by Associate Editors Kavita Jain, Sutirth Dey, and NG Prasad on August 3 at 10:00 IST. 

Learn more about the symposium speakers, schedule, and workshop. 

Register for free by July 31 for free to reserve your spot!

Congratulations to our two recipients of the 2023 W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation, Arielle Fogel and James Gallagher! 

This year’s Hamilton Award symposium took place during the virtual portion of the Evolution meeting. Arielle presented “Mating-related barriers to gene flow shape ancestry patterns along hybrid baboon genomes.” James presented “Surviving the serenade: how conflicting natural and sexual selection drove rapid diversification of mating signals in an insect.” Both will receive 1000 USD and a one-year subscription to Evolution. 

If you are attending the in-person portion of Evolution 2023 in Albuquerque, NM, please join us for the 2023 SSE Annual Membership Business Meeting & Open Forum on Thursday, June 22 from 1:15 to 2:15 PM in San Miguel/Room 215. 

This year we will use our time to not only share updates on the society’s activities over the past year, but also to solicit ideas and feedback from members on how to better serve the global community of scientists that SSE aims to provide a forum for through its programs, conferences, and journals. The discussion will be led by members of the SSE Executive council, the International Committee, and the Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC).

On the list for discussion:
- future iterations of the recent International Symposium (organized by GSAC)
- virtual options for upcoming annual meetings, including next year’s joint Evolution meeting in Montreal (hosted in partnership with The European Society for Evolutionary Biology). 

Do you have ideas for how SSE can improve its positive impact, internationally? Have you participated in recent programs (e.g., EELS) or activities (e.g., mixers) sponsored by SSE to increase participation across the globe? What programs are working well and what else would you like to see happen? We want to hear from you! Please join us for this brief update and community discussion. Lunch not provided.

Congratulations to our 2023 R. C. Lewontin Early Award recipients: Nathalie Alomar, Neil Balchan, Tara Empson, Anjali Gupta, Matthew Hack, Azwad Iqbal, Juliana Jiranek, Gina Lucas, Jess Lund, Sage Madden, Akshat Mall, Quinn McCallum, Jenna Palmisano, Faye Romero, Marissa Sandoval, Fernando Torres, Wout van der Heide, Erica Vong, Claire Williams, and Maximiliano Zuluaga Forero! 

These awards provide up to 2500 USD to assist students in the early stages of their PhD programs. These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants award program. 

We are pleased to announce the second SSE International Symposium, organized in collaboration with the Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists (ISEB) and set for August 2, 2023. This event will be aimed at India and neighboring regions and will be conducted in English. We are now accepting applications for speakers.

The symposium will be followed by a workshop on how to publish articles in Evolution the following day. This workshop will be taught by the Evolution Associate Editors Kavita Jain (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research), Sutirth Dey (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune), and NG Prasad (Indian Institute of  Science Education and Research Mohali).

SSE invites India-based scholars and those from neighboring regions to apply to be a speaker of this event. You do not have to be a member of either SSE or ISEB, but this is encouraged. If you are not a member of SSE, you can receive free or discounted membership through the Global Membership Assistance Program.

We aim to showcase the work on evolutionary biology of six early-career researchers (15-min talks) and two senior researchers (30-min talks) working in India and neighboring regions. All speakers will receive a USD 200 honorarium.

If you would like to participate as a speaker, please email us the following information as a single PDF to GSAC@evolutionsociety.org before June 30, 2023:

     - Motivation letter (1 page max.), please include:
             - Name 
             - Pronouns
             - Affiliation
             - Career stage
             - Tentative topic of the talk
             - Motivation to participate in the symposium
      - CV

Deadline: June 30, 2023

The speakers will be selected covering several axes of diversity to guarantee a fair representation of the regional community in terms of gender, geographic location, subdisciplines, and study systems. We will inform the results of this call in the first week of July. If you have any questions, please contact us at GSAC@evolutionsociety.org.

This event is organized by the SSE Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) in collaboration with the Indian Society of Evolutionary Biologists, with support from the SSE Council and the SSE International Committee.

The SSE GSAC is looking for three new council members to join our 2024 cohort!

The GSAC represents student and postdoc interests to the SSE Council and facilitates interaction among students and postdocs, and between students, postdocs, and mentors. Our goal is to be a source of information for students and postdocs during their graduate school career and as they make career transitions, and to provide an early-career perspective to the rest of the SSE council. For example, recently we took a leading role in putting on the successful virtual International Symposia Series and the SSE Caregiver Award.

GSAC members must be graduate students at the time of application and members of SSE. (Learn more about how to join.) Applicants should be organized, possess leadership skills, and be interested in working with SSE Council and members to contribute to the Society. Many more details about our activities throughout the year can be found in our GSAC blog post on the SSE Community Blog. 

We strongly encourage those with non-traditional pathways to graduate school, those from non-R1 universities, and those from outside the United States to apply. GSAC is also committed to diverse representation, and we encourage applicants from historically excluded ethnic, gender, and socio-economic backgrounds. 

Visit the GSAC webpage for more information about how to apply. Deadline: July 26, 2023 (any time zone)

Congratulations to the finalists of the SSE W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation: Maria Akopyan, Alicia L. Bruzos, Shyamsunder Buddh, Robert Driver, Arielle Fogel, Jay Gallagher, Nikunj Goel, Juanita Guiterrez-Valencia, Israt Jahan, Matthew Kustra, Brian Lerch, Benjamin Moran, Rosalyn Price-Waldman, Ryan Ridenbaugh, and Merlijn Staps! Come hear their talks in three sessions starting at 3:30 pm Eastern (GMT-4) on Saturday, June 3 at the virtual portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting.

SSE Presidential Symposium
Time does not heal all ills: The misuse of evolutionary biology as a driver of modern-day inequalities
Friday, June 2, 11:00 AM Eastern (GMT-4)

As evolutionary biologists, we engage in research and scholarship to better understand the world around us, whether it be the origin of life, its relatedness, or responses to environmental change. And through our mentoring and education we seek to equip our students with the tools they need to also examine the world through the lens of evolution and change. This commitment to understanding change in the world around us must also extend to intentional examination of the historical and contemporary impact of our field on society and human history, even if those conversations are uncomfortable or painful. The history of our field of evolutionary biology includes extensive entanglement with eugenics and white supremacy, and thus has served as a driver of social inequality. To this day, genetic research and the concept of genetic determinism are misused by white supremacists and distributed in the popular media. 

The focus of this symposium will be an examination of modern evolutionary genetic research and what it can, or cannot, tell us about variation, origins, and evolution. Speakers will address issues in three broad areas: i) the historical role of evolution as a promoter of inequality, ii) present-day challenges, and iii) best practices and future directions. The symposium will conclude with a moderated panel discussion including all speakers, who will address questions from the audience.

SSE Council is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Sarah "Sally" Otto.

Dr. Otto was selected for her countless important contributions to evolutionary biology as a researcher, mentor, educator, and activist. As an outstanding researcher, Dr. Otto’s empirical and theoretical work on the evolution of ploidy, sex, and recombination has moved the field forward. As a mentor and educator, she has provided rigorous and accessible training to the next generation of biologists. As a member of the scientific community and citizen of the world, she has served in leadership roles for several scientific societies (the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, the American Genetic Association, and SSE), co-founded the Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution, and directs the Liber Ero Fellowship Program. At every level, Dr. Otto has worked towards bettering the environment—scientifically and globally, individually and collaboratively. Her achievements have been recognized with a number of awards (including the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society, the Sewall Wright Award from ASN, the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant", National Academy of Sciences membership, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada), and we are delighted to honor her with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023.

Dr. Otto will present the Lifetime Achievement Award talk during the virtual portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting on Friday, June 2 at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Costa, recipient of the 2023 Gould Prize! This award recognizes efforts to advance public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life. Dr. Costa was selected for his work to advance the public understanding of evolution and the history of evolutionary thinking, and for his work to promote biodiversity education and conservation through outreach and community engagement. Dr. Costa will present the Gould Prize Plenary the opening night of the in-person portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting. Learn more about Dr. Costa’s work and this award here.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the winner of the 2023 T. H. Huxley Award, Sarah Bordenstein, for her development of the activity, "Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project." This award recognizes and promotes the development of high quality evolution education resources. Learn more about the award and Sarah’s project.

Congratulations to the 2023 Dobzhansky Prize winner, Dr. Dakota McCoy! This award recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding early-career evolutionary biologist. Dr. McCoy will present the Dobzhansky Prize lecture at the in-person portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting in Albuquerque, NM in June. Read more about Dr. McCoy here.

SSE is sponsoring registration costs for ten local (i.e., within ~100 miles of Albuquerque) undergraduate students to attend the Evolution 2023 conference in Albuquerque, NM for one day (June 24). Undergraduates selected for this opportunity will be paired with graduate student or postdoc mentors from around the world to help them navigate through the meeting and answer any questions they may have both before and during the event. Accepted students will receive free registration for the day, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation to the Albuquerque Convention Center and any food they purchase. Interested undergraduate students should apply by May 30 here.

Interested in mentoring? Graduate students or postdocs interested in mentoring should apply here.

Register now for the Evolution meeting! This is the joint annual meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. The meeting is one of the premiere opportunities for sharing research on evolutionary biology each year.

EVOLUTION 2023
Virtual: June 2-3
Albuquerque, NM: June 21-25

Registration for the in-person portion includes access to the virtual portion.
Early-bird discounts for in-person registration have been extended through May 15!

The deadline for the 2023 Caregiver Awards has been extended to May 5, 2023. These awards provide up to $500 USD for SSE members who need assistance in covering caregiver costs while attending the annual Evolution meeting in person or virtually.

A caregiver is broadly defined and includes anyone who cares for children, dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives), or people in need of personal assistance. This award can be spent as the awardee wishes to facilitate attendance.

Learn more about the Evolution meeting or the Caregiver Awards.

Deadline: May 5, 2023

Congratulations to Michael Itgen for his winning paper, “Genome size drives morphological evolution in organ-specific ways”, published last year in Evolution. Read more about his paper and this award.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is now accepting proposals for the Small Grants Program for Local and Regional Outreach Promoting the Understanding of Evolutionary Biology. 

These grants provide support for local and regional educational outreach activities to take place during 2023. Examples of past outreach activities have included public lectures, exhibits, student competitions, and professional development events for teachers.

Grants of up to $1000 USD will be awarded. Applicants must be members of SSE. The deadline to apply is April 24, 2023. 

Learn more and apply.

Would you like to serve in a leadership role at SSE? Know someone else who would? Nominate yourself or someone else for SSE Council. Officer nominations submitted by April 1 will receive full consideration by the nominating committee for that year's election cycle. 

SSE seeks diversity of people and ideas on council and editorial boards. We strongly encourage nominations and self-nominations of individuals who represent the full diversity of the evolutionary biology community, including (but not limited to) all aspects of identity and background, types of institution, geographic location or scientific approach. 

SSE seeks participation by individuals committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in science. We strongly encourage nominations, including self-nominations, of individuals who have a demonstrated commitment to advancing equity and inclusion in science.

Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of each position in the SSE Handbook. 

Submit your nomination here. Deadline: April 1.

The new Evolution English Language Support (EELS) Program offers free, light touch editing for authors submitting to Evolution for whom English is not their preferred language. To participate in this program, authors can contact the EELS program coordinator before submission at EELScoordinator@gmail.com, or indicate during manuscript submission that they are willing to be contacted during the review process about this language support.

Evolution publishes exclusively in English, which can present additional challenges to authors for whom English is an additional language. The EELS Program is intended to help reduce barriers to scientific publishing by providing such authors with an opportunity for additional support.

Learn more about the EELS program or how to submit to Evolution.

The Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation will be given to a current or very recent graduate student who presents an outstanding talk based on their graduate work at the Evolution 2023 meeting. Finalists will present their talks during the live-streamed Hamilton Award symposium during the virtual part of the meeting June 2-3. The application to become a Hamilton award finalist is part of registration for the meeting. Applicants must check a box during meeting registration indicating their interest in the Hamilton Award and submit an abstract. Register by April 15, 2023.

The Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution (UDE) program sends undergraduate students to the annual Evolution meeting, held this year online June 2-3 and in Albuquerque, NM, USA from June 21-25. 

At the in-person part of the meeting, awardees will present a poster, receive mentoring, and participate in a career-oriented Undergraduate Futures in Evolutionary Biology panel and discussion. Awardees will receive free meeting registration, travel, and lodging, a meal stipend, and a ticket to the Super Social. 

Applicants must be current undergraduates or very recent graduates. As a group, selected applicants must increase diversity among undergraduates at the meeting. Applicants demonstrating a need for funds to attend will be given preference. 

Learn more and apply on the UDE webpage. 

Deadline: March 13, 2023

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the 2023 T.H. Huxley award, named in honor of Darwin's very public supporter, which recognizes and promotes the development of high-quality evolution education resources. If you have an interesting project or educational activity to share, consider applying for this award. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to apply. 

This award provides funding for an SSE member to present evolution education resources at an education-focused conference, typically the National Association of Biology Teachers annual conference, or an education-focused session at another conference. This year’s NABT conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland from November 2-5, 2023. 

Applications are due March 31st. Learn more and apply here. 

The deadline to nominate a person or group for the ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award has been extended to February 10. This award will be given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting inclusiveness and diversity in our fields. The award can also be presented to a group. The recipient(s) will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the following year’s Evolution meeting. Each recipient will also receive a plaque and a $1000 honorarium (shared among recipients if more than one).

***Eligibility Note: No contemporary officer, editor, member of diversity committee, or meeting organizer of the three societies is eligible for the award. Membership in any of the three societies is not required to nominate someone or be nominated for this award.***

Nomination packages should include:

1. Nomination Letter: A single letter of support (1-2 pages) including biographical information (name, title, organization) of the person or group being nominated, along with a short description of the activities supporting the nomination. The letter must also include a section on the nature of impact the person or group has had on inclusivity, diversity, and equity in the field. For self-nominations, this letter should be written by another person who is familiar with the activities of the nominee.


2. Biosketch: A brief biosketch or list of activities (maximum 3 pages) for the person/group nominated.


3. Optional supplementary material: any material you believe clarifies the activities of the nominee relevant to this award (maximum 3 pages). 

Please contact committee chair Andrea Sweigart at sweigart@uga.edu with any questions.

Or click here to access the application. 

DEADLINE EXTENDED: February 10, 2023