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INSIGHTS Public Lecture: Could bees have emotions? by Dr Vivek Nityananda

Dr Vivek Nityananda, Newcastle University

Date/Time: Thursday 20 February 2025, 5.30pm

Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

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All our events remain free and open to all, but pre-booking is required. Bookings for this lecture will open at 10.00am on 13 February.

To reserve your place click the booking link below or telephone our booking voicemail line 0191 208 6136.

Improving bee welfare is important since they are essential pollinators. This lecture will discuss recent research that uses an animal welfare approach to study emotion-like states in bees. Drawing on input from other disciplines and society, the speaker will talk about their recent work on pessimism in bees, how this is affected by stress and how we make sense of these scientific results.

Biography

Vivek Nityananda received his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. He has worked in Minneapolis and London before moving to Newcastle University where he is now a Senior Lecturer. He researches insect vision, cognition and welfare. He is also interested in pessimism and optimism and has written a book on overconfidence. He collaborates with researchers in the arts and humanities and regularly communicates science through cartoons, animation and plays.