Individualisation Symposium 2026

24 March 2026

Across species, individuals consistently differ in how they cooperate, compete and learn from one another. These behavioural signatures are intimately linked to the lives of other individuals:  They shape which social relations individuals form, how these relations unfold, and how both partners develop throughout their lifetime.

The Individualisation Symposium 2026 will focus on this intricate interplay between social relations and individual differences. The Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE) cordially invites all interested individuals to the fifth edition of this interdisciplinary meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 at Bielefeld University. 

The yearly symposium brings together scholars from natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities to promote exchange of current findings and new perspectives in individualisation research across disciplinary boundaries – thereby advancing our collective understanding of individuality in a changing world.

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Individualisation Symposium 2026 – Poster

Speaker

• Athena Aktipis

  Psychology | Arizona State University

  

  Athena Aktipis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University (ASU) and Director of the Cooperative Futures Institute and the ASU Interdisciplinary Cooperation Initiative. As a cooperation theorist, evolutionary psychologist and cancer biologist, she provides unique insights into cooperation across diverse systems – ranging from human sharing practices to cancer – by integrating these fields of research. Beyond her academic work, she is deeply committed to making the science of cooperation accessible to a wider audience: She is the author of the popular science books 'The Cheating Cell: How Evolution Helps Us Understand and Treat Cancer' and 'A Field Guide to the Apocalypse: A Mostly Serious Guide to Surviving Our Wild Times', creator of 'The Apocalypse Roadshow' and host of the 'Zombified Podcast'. Through the Cooperative Futures Institute, she leads efforts to translate cooperation science into practical tools, institutions and technologies aimed at building more resilient, aligned and cooperative futures.

  Website of Athena Aktipis
   

• Michael Cant

  Evolutionary Biology | University of Exeter

  

  Michael Cant is a Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter. He explores cooperative societies ranging from insects to humans, offering profound insights into why individuals vary in their social behaviour and on how cooperation and conflict evolve. Drawing on his extensive expertise, he co-authored the book ‘The Evolution of Social Behaviour: Conflict and Cooperation’. In his research, he uses evolutionary models to predict how individuals respond to each other's behaviour and to their environment, and tests these predictions through field-based research on a range of social species. This integrated approach enables him to identify fundamental principles that explain the variety of society types found in the animal kingdom and shape the ways in which individuals form teams, cooperate and resolve conflicts.

  Website of Michael Cant

• Gerd Kempermann

  Medicine & Neuroscience | Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden

  

  The physician and neuroscientist Gerd Kempermann is a Professor for Genomics of Regeneration at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at Dresden University of Technology as well as a research group leader and site speaker at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Dresden. He is also a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and author of several widely acclaimed academic and popular science books, including 'Die Revolution im Kopf: Wie neue Nervenzellen unser Gehirn ein Leben lang jung halten' and 'Adult Neurogenesis: Stem Cells and Neuronal Development in the Adult Brain'. His research reveals how physical and mental activity regulate the formation of new neurons in the adult brain at the molecular level, thereby counteracting ageing processes and neurodegenerative diseases. He focuses particularly on how individual experiences and decisions contribute to the development of unique brain structures and neural networks. In this way, he makes pioneering contributions to our understanding of the human brain's capacity for adaptation and regeneration throughout the entire lifespan.

  Website of Gerd Kempermann
   

• Jens Krause

  Behavioural Biology | Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries

  

  Behavioural biologist Jens Krause is a Professor for Biology and Ecology of Fishes at Humboldt University of Berlin and head of the Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB). He is also a member of the Cluster of Excellence 'Science of Intelligence' and of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and co-author of the book 'Animal Social Networks'. His research focuses on the mechanisms and functions of group living in animals, with a particular emphasis on social networks, collective behaviour and swarm intelligence. His work on decision-making in animal groups has generated numerous insights and applications relevant to society, including improved diagnostic approaches for diseases (e.g., breast and skin cancer) and solutions for human crowd management.

  Website of Jens Krause
   

• Susanne Meinert

  Translational Psychiatry | University of Münster

  

  Susanne Meinert is a psychologist, psychotherapist and head of the research group ‘Transition Research in Affective Disorders’ at the Institute for Translational Psychiatry at the University of Münster. In recognition of her outstanding scientific work, she has recently received the Rising Star Award from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) as well as the Early Career Research Award from the University Society of Münster. Her research examines how psychological, neurobiological and social processes shape development during life transitions and contribute to the onset of affective disorders – with the aim of improving prevention and treatment in this field.

  Website of Susanne Meinert

• Sina Mews

  Computational Statistics | University of Göttingen

  

  Sina Mews is a Junior Professor of Computational Statistics at the University of Göttingen. Her research involves developing and applying statistical models to analyse temporal processes in a variety of empirical contexts, ranging from foraging strategies of fur seals to shooting streaks in basketball. She particularly focuses on latent Markov models and related methods to reveal hidden state changes over time that are not directly observable – for example in longitudinal studies or repeated measurements.

  Website of Sina Mews