The IWRS is hiring! Help us build the infrastructure for invertebrate welfare research—from husbandry databases to educational resources. 🐛📖
Remote Research Scientist position, $55-60K. We will begin reviewing applications on March 15.
Learn more and apply here:
Only one week left to submit an EOI to our current call for proposals! We’re excited to fund your projects on #shrimp and #arthropod welfare! 🪲🐜🪳🦐🦗🦂🐝
📅 Deadline reminder: Jan 15, 2026
Calling shrimp & aquaculture researchers! We're seeking proposals to address welfare challenges for Pacific white shrimps & giant tiger prawns in commercial aquaculture. 🦐
Just a few weeks left to apply!
Up to $10K–$50K available
Apply: bit.ly/3KVCwMR
Insects aren’t ‘little robots’—so scientists are rethinking their welfare: Science chats with an entomologist and an expert in animal ethics who are monitoring how researchers report on the ethical treatment of insects. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Know an amateur entomologist or invertebrate recorder? 🦋 We're offering up to $2,000 to help test and refine biological recording methods using 3Rs approaches. Need 2+ years experience. Deadline: Dec 1.
Learn more:
Calling all shrimp and aquaculture researchers! 🦐
We're funding research on Pacific white shrimp & giant tiger prawn welfare in commercial settings—work that could impact billions of animals.
Up to $10K ($50K for exceptional projects). EOIs due Jan 15, 2026.
Apply: bit.ly/3KVCwMR
Join us Sept 24, 5 PM BST for our seminar with Prof. Kristoffer Whitney (Rochester Institute of Technology): "Blood Money: The history of horseshoe crabs in science and medicine"
He will explore historical, political, and ethical issues related to marine invertebrate welfare: bit.ly/3K2acYC
Fantastic talk by @birchlse.bsky.social on ethical review for insect research as part of @royentsoc.bsky.social #Ento25 insect ethics workshop
@insectwrs.bsky.social
Thanks to those who joined our webinar featuring Dr. Matilda Gibbons (University of Pennsylvania): "How Can We Measure Sentience in an Insect?"
In case you missed it, the video is available on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/HajWZuMto0A
Check out @royentsoc.bsky.social's Welfare & Ethics forum, one of their 20+ Special Interest Groups! 🐛
In vertebrates, play is often seen as highly relevant for animal welfare. Studying the implications of this behavior for Drosophila well-being could be a great thing to propose for our current CFP round! www.arthropodafoundation.org/call-for-pro...
Fascinating paper by @wolfhuette.bsky.social and colleagues from a few months back.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
only 7 days left to submit an EOI to our first call for proposals 😱
If you work on #arthropods 🪲🐜🪳🦐🦗🦂🐝 of any kind and want to study their welfare scientifically, we have 💰for you!
Only 20 days left until Expression of Interest submissions closes! We can't wait to see your proposals!
New on Entomology Today: Many butterfly species often congregate in puddles, rotting organic matter, or other moist surfaces. A new review on "puddling" in butterflies details current knowledge on this nutrient-gathering behavior but also shows how much remains unknown about why they gather.
Happening today!
Wild bees* are great! If you're interested in studying their welfare scientifically, check out our CFP!
www.arthropodafoundation.org/call-for-pro...
*honeybee welfare projects would also be eligible for funding, although not a priority this funding round.
Studies that compare different approaches to insect population control from a welfare perspective, or seek to produce new, higher-welfare approaches, would be relevant for our CFP! www.arthropodafoundation.org/call-for-pro...
Humanity often seeks to reduce insect populations, and most of the methods we have to do so probably cause a lot of suffering if those insects are sentient.
Here's another example of a topic that might be interesting to study from a welfare angle: how can we manage insect populations in a friendlier way?
Icon of a hand holding a heart, in white on a green background. Accompanying text reads "Member Support Fund." ESA logo appears at bottom left.
As funding and workforce disruption harms U.S. science, the ESA Member Support Fund will pay affected entomologists' membership dues, allowing beneficiaries to maintain access to ESA member benefits and stay connected to the insect science community. buff.ly/mSnq5tP
One might examine the physiological processes involved, time to death for the spotted-wing Drosophila, as well as any welfare consequences that might accrue for the wasp.
Wasp-based biological control is commonly promoted for environmental reasons. But how does biological control compare to other methods of pest insect control when examined through a welfare lens?
I'll be posting a few examples of research questions it would be cool to see proposed for our current RFP (www.arthropodafoundation.org/call-for-pro...) to help folks get a sense of our funding interests and priorities.
🤩
Do you know a scientist working with insects with an interest in welfare? Please send them our way!
We'd appreciate any effort to boost our reach so we can get lots of cool applications :)
A recent paper argued that bees trade off reward to avoid pain. Jenny Read and I re-analyzed their data and argue that the paper's analysis is flawed. We've written up a constructive critique of the work with some modelling and recommendations. 🧪
Read on:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program is thrilled to be hosting an online talk with Meghan Barrett called "Wild Insect Welfare: Mitigating Harms to the Very, Very Many." The talk will be Wed April 30 at 12:30pm. RSVP below. Please share!
Advertisement for Ento25 registration and abstract submission featuring people at a previous Ento conference
Join the entomological community at @unistrathclyde.bsky.social for #Ento25, with opportunities to present your research in #InsectScience 🦋
Huge discount for RES members so join today, save more when you register before the earlybird deadline: 4 July 🔽
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@uofglasgow.bsky.social
