BEE 2025 : A Symposium on Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolution

Ashoka University organised the Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolution (BEE) symposium on April 26th and 27th, 2025. The symposium brought together researchers and students working in the fields of ecology, evolution, and animal behaviour, serving as a platform for discussions on topics such as ecological dynamics, evolutionary processes, and behavioural adaptations. The symposium aimed at providing a vibrant space for the research community to interact, exchange ideas, build connections, and explore potential future collaborations.

Engaging Research Talks and Poster Presentations

The BEE symposium featured research talks by biologists from Ashoka University, IISER-Mohali, Shiv Nadar University, and SRM University. Students from Ashoka and other participating universities also conducted poster presentations on their research. A total of 21 talks and 25 posters were showcased. These initiatives cultivated intellectual curiosity, dialogue, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

‘Connect and Collaborate’ : An engaging Brainstorming Session

One of the highlights of the symposium was the ‘Connect and Collaborate’ brainstorming session. This session brought together participants to collaborate on developing new ideas and exploring specific unanswered questions in the broad fields of ecology, evolution, and behaviour. Participants were grouped into different teams with a mix of undergraduates, post-graduates, PhD scholars, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members. The teams were presented with a set of broad themes, including Climate Change, Emerging Infections, Biodiversity Loss, Sustainability, and other related topics.

Over a 40-minute brainstorming session, each team came up with a unique research proposal related to their choice of topic. These intriguing project ideas included titles such as, ‘Rise of the Aliens: The Native Strikeback?’, ‘Let’s Get Takin’, and ‘The Last of (Fung)us’.

The brainstorming was followed by presenting the proposed projects to the audience, leading to engaging discussions and Q&A sessions. By breaking down silos, participants got the rare opportunity to engage with accomplished researchers across fields.

The symposium successfully brought together young scholars from various research  backgrounds, representing different disciplines, genders and experiences which helped create a lively forum to exchange ideas, build contacts and develop future collaborations. The organisers envision that such efforts will result in significant scientific contributions and creation of a well-connected and resilient research community. 

Edited by Kangna Verma and Priyanka, Academic Communication, Research and Development Office

Know More: https://sites.google.com/ashoka.edu.in/bee