Nicole Michelle Webb

The European Society for the Study of Human Evolution (ESHE) is one of the largest international societies dedicated to both cultural and biological investigations into human origins. The society holds an annual conference that showcases cutting-edge research, provides vital networking opportunities for scientists (students, early career researchers and PIs) while simultaneously raising public awareness and understanding of human evolution. The research featured at this event is published as a series, making the collective contributions of this organization highly relevant across different disciplines (archaeology, palaeoanthropology, palaeogenetics, etc.). Accordingly, we want to increase the initiatives geared towards improving the society’s inclusivity. For example, we have implemented protocols to permit parents to attend the conference more easily, including hosting fully-equipped lactation areas at our events, encouraging baby-wearing and offering vouchers to cover childcare and traveling expenses. The society would also like to encourage students (especially from underrepresented backgrounds and geographic regions) to attend and contribute to the annual meetings, as this is a unique opportunity to enhance the existing community, showcase their research, improve their CV and their employability. We consequently seek to acquire funding that will enable us to optimize our inclusion efforts by removing barriers for conference attendees of diverse backgrounds.