23rd Congress of the Portuguese Ethological Society (SPE 2026)

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Michael Reichert
Michael Reichert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Oklahoma State University. He received his PhD in 2011 from the University of Missouri and worked as a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and University College Cork. He is spending Autumn 2026 as a Fulbright Fellow at CIBIO. His research focuses on integrative studies of animal communication, with the main study system being acoustic communication in treefrogs. He has also worked on acoustic communication in insects, cognition and social behavior in birds, and ecological modeling of threatened amphibians.

Anna Olsson
Anna Olsson is a researcher and Group Leader at i3S, University of Porto, with a background in animal science and a PhD in ethology. Her research focuses on animal behaviour, welfare, and the ethics of animal research, particularly in laboratory, farm, and companion animals. She leads the Portuguese 3R Knowledge Center and has extensive experience in animal welfare, ethics, training, and responsible research practices.

Raquel Vasconcelos
Raquel Vasconcelos is a researcher at MARE-UL with research expertise in behavioural ecology, neurophysiology, and bioacoustics. Her work investigates the physiological mechanisms underlying auditory sensitivity and how environmental changes, particularly noise pollution, affect the detection of biologically relevant signals, behaviour, and physiological adaptation. Using marine and freshwater fish as model species, she explores how animals perceive and respond to changing acoustic environments.

Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar
Alfredo is a Principal Investigator at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology in Coimbra. He is an evolutionary ecologist and meta-researcher whose work focuses on evidence synthesis, open science, and research practices in ecology and evolution. His research combines large-scale evidence synthesis with studies of reproducibility and the credibility of scientific claims. He develops practical tools and approaches to improve research reliability and transparency and is actively involved in international training, mentorship, and initiatives promoting open and collaborative science.

INVITED SPEAKERS
Gunilla Rosenqvist
Gunilla Rosenqvist is a researcher, project leader, and professor affiliated with Uppsala University, Campus Gotland, Sweden. Her research spans behavioral ecology, marine biology, and the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems, with a particular focus on pipefish (Syngnathidae), sexual selection, and marine and brackish-water environments in the Baltic Sea. She earned her PhD in Biology from Uppsala University in 1990, focusing on behavioral ecology and sex-role reversal in pipefish, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has also held academic positions at other institutions, including the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Gisela Dionísio
Gisela Dionísio is a researcher at MARE and ARNET, President of the Atlantic Naturalist Association, and Scientific Coordinator of Naturalist – Science and Tourism. With a PhD in Biology and Climate Change from the University of Aveiro, her research focuses on climate change impacts on marine organisms. She coordinates research and citizen science projects, including EUROSYNG, and promotes "Tourism as a Platform for Research Studies,” integrating tourism, science, and marine conservation.

Students can also compete for the Vítor Almada Award for Best Oral Presentation and the Springer Award for Best Poster.

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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Ana Leitão
Beatriz Saldanha
Gonçalo Cardoso
João Pacheco
Marta Marmelo
Sandra Trigo

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Susana Varela (UCP & GIMM)