ASSAB 2026

Professor Andrew Barron – Macquarie University

Why the honey bee is smarter than ChatGPT

Professor Barron is Director of the Macquarie Minds and Intelligences Initiative and a neuroethologist studying the neural mechanisms of natural animal behaviour. His research focuses on insect cognition, particularly honey bees, using advanced techniques to understand fundamental behavioural systems such as navigation, social behaviour, learning and memory. He also researches bee health and welfare, investigating how bees and colonies are impacted by pesticide and disease stressors.

Assoc. Professor Kristal Cain – University of Auckland

Chasing birds and shiny squirrels - an alternative path in academia

Assoc. Professor Cain is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences and an integrative organismal biologist. Her research investigates the eco-evolutionary pressures and physiological mechanisms mediating traits and behaviours important in social interactions. She focuses on testing long-standing assumptions in evolutionary biology and animal behaviour, with particular interest in sex differences, learning, competition, communication and parental care, primarily in wild birds.

Dr Kawsar Khan – Macquarie University

Behaviour ecology in the Anthropocene

Dr Khan’s research focuses on understanding how insects respond to environmental change, particularly climate change. His work examines thermal tolerance, parasitism, and immunity in damselflies and other insects across temporal and spatial scales. His recent research explores how seasonal plasticity and latitudinal gradients affect species resilience to future climate conditions.

Dr Upama Aich – University of Western Australia

Sex and stress in a changing world

Dr Aich is a Forrest Fellow whose research examines the evolution of behavioural, reproductive, and life-history traits in light of sexual selection and environmental changes. Her current projects investigate the long-term, intergenerational effects of environmental pollutants, particularly endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals, on animal behaviour and physiology in fish and invertebrates.