Committees of the International Society for Neuroethology

ISN Statement on Racial Justice

(July, 2021)

Affirming the work of the ISN Inclusion and Diversity Committee, the ISN Executive Committee is committed to confronting systemic racism and implicit bias in science:

The BlackLivesMatter movement has surged in the United States and has spread across the globe, ignited by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 and as a response to the long history of violence and implicit bias against Black people....Diversity is at the heart of the ISN, which embraces biological diversity and supports a diverse community of researchers across the globe.

View the Statement on Racial Justice Here




ISN Offers First Three Diversity Awards

(June, 2021)

On the mission to make our research community more inclusive and support people of underrepresented or historically disadvantaged groups in neuroethological research, the ISN has launched the annual Diversity Award. For this year’s first edition of the Award, the Inclusion and Diversity Committee has decided to split the award money equally among three excellent early career researchers: Heba Ali (Florida International University, USA) is working on the energy trade-offs between competing metabolic demands in electric fish; Kristina Corthals is currently investigating the neuronal basis for hygrosensation at Lund University in Sweden; and Isabel Ortega-Insaurralde from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) is focusing on the sensory biology of disease vector insects. Congratulations to the awardees!

Heba Ali                                Kristina Corthals                 Isabel Ortega-Insaurralde

We hope the funds can support their careers and open new opportunities for their research. The 2021 Diversity Award was clearly timely for ISN membership and had nine excellent applicants from three continents. All applicants presented genuine barriers jeopardizing the progress of their work and hindering their diverse and valuable contributions to the field of neuroethology. We think it is in the interest of our scientific society to support more awardees in the future and ensure that historically disadvantaged people do not remain excluded from participation. To facilitate this, an ISN Diversity Award fund has been set up and ISN members can now donate.




ISN Endorses ALBA Network Declaration

(April, 2021)

ALBA is a network of brain scientists committed to fostering fair and diverse scientific communities. The organization has drafted a Declaration as a resource for concrete, positive, evidence-based action that individuals and organizations can take to promote equity and inclusivity. Follow this link to view the ISN letter of endorsement of the ALBA Declaration.


ISN Statement on Racial Justice

(June, 2020)

Affirming the work of the ISN Inclusion and Diversity Committee, the ISN Executive Committee wishes to explain to all members its desire to confront systemic racism and implicit bias in science. Towards that goal, a statement has been released that includes:

For the last few weeks, the BlackLivesMatter movement has been surging in the United States and spreading across the globe, demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and a long history of violence and implicit bias against Black people....Diversity is at the heart of the ISN, which embraces biological diversity and supports a diverse community of researchers across the globe.



ISN Adopts Code of Conduct for Members:

(November, 2019)

In November 2019 the International Society for Neuroethology adopted a Code of Conduct, intended to create a society environment embracing inclusion and where participants feel welcome and safe, in order to foster the open exchange and critical evaluation of scientific ideas.

You are encouraged to review the ISN Code of Conduct and help us create a scholarly society where all are respected and appreciated.




ISN Forms Inclusion and Diversity Committee

(October, 2019)
  • Aims and Mission:

The Inclusion and Diversity Committee (IDC) of the International Society for Neuroethology (ISN) is responsible for promoting diversity within the membership and at our congresses, promoting the safety and inclusion of all individuals at ISN meetings and programs, and investigating reported violations of the ISN Code of Conduct.

You can learn more about the establishment and function of the Inclusion and Diversity Committee HERE.


  • 2020 Committee Members and Contact Information:

·       Ana Silva, Universidad de la República de Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay (Chair); asilva@fcien.edu.uy

·       Amir Ayali, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; ayali@tauex.tau.ac.il

·       Heather Eisthen, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; eisthen@msu.edu

·       Ayelén Nally, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; ayelen.nally@gmail.com

·       Vivek Nityananda, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK; vivek.nityananda@newcastle.ac.uk

·       Lauren O’Connell, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; loconnel@stanford.edu

·       Lukas Weiss, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany; lukas.weiss@physzool.bio.uni-giessen.de