USA

Odonata collections as a Resource for Taxonomy and Phylogenetics

Dr. Jessica Ware is a curator at the American Museum of Natural History where she serves as Chair of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology. Dr. Ware holds a BSc from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and a PhD from Rutgers, New Brunswick. She was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow before becoming a Professor at Ruthers University for ten years before moving to the AMNH. Dr. Ware’s research focuses on the evolution of behavioral and physiological adaptations in insects, with an emphasis on how these occur in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Dictyoptera (termites, cockroaches, and mantises). Dr. Ware is part of a group of researchers evaluating insect decline. She was awarded a PECASE medal from the US government for her work on insect evolution. Dr. Ware served on the Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America for 3 years. She served as a Director at the Society of Systematic Biologists for 3 years. Dr. Ware is the Past President of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association and the Past President of the Entomological Society of America. She is current President of the Society of Systematic Biologists. 

Bulgaria - New Zealand

Philo-, phylo – and going to the bottom

I like to say that I was born as an entomologist in the town of Silistra, Bulgaria. Selecting the study subject for the university education was not a challenging task because for me there has been always one option since I was 9-10 years old –insects and any fields related to entomology. Sofia University canalised my interests to dragonflies and after 20 years dedicated to Bulgarian fauna I decided to relocate to New Zealand to focus on the Pacific islands Odonata. The vast ocean reduced further my research interests to just taxonomy and nomenclature of the group from the region enclosed in between Solomon Islands to French Polynesia.

Brazil

Odonates and ecophysiological requirements in biomonitoring of Amazonian streams

I am a biologist with a Master's degree in Ecology and Conservation from the State University of Mato Grosso and a PhD in Zoology with an emphasis on Biodiversity and Conservation from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and the Federal University of Pará. I conduct studies evaluating the integrity of small-scale water systems in the Amazon region, also using the order Odonata as a response group, with the aim of identifying effective guidelines for the conservation of aquatic environments.

Germany

Impacts of climate change and the frontiers of ecophysiological research in Odonata

Stefan Pinkert is an early-career group lead in the Conservation Ecology Lab at the University of Marburg, specialising in the ecological and evolutionary drivers of insect biodiversity under global change. His research combines trait-based, phylogenetic, and spatial modelling approaches to understand how climate and habitat stability shape species distributions, with a particular focus on Odonata. Bridging macroecology and ecophysiology, his work highlights the role of thermal adaptations and dispersal traits in driving diversity patterns and extinction risks across taxa. At the congress, he will deliver a plenary talk on “Impacts of climate change and the frontiers of ecophysiological research in Odonata”, offering a global synthesis of trait-environment relationships, evolutionary constraints, and conservation priorities in this model insect group.

Colombia

From Phylogenies to Public Fairs: Bridging Odonate Systematics and Science for All

Dr. Melissa Sanchez Herrera is a biologist specializing in insect systematics and conservation, with a focus on Odonata. She earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Universidad de los Andes and a Ph.D. from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Dr. Sanchez Herrera is Executive Director of Fundación Mayu Suyana and a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History. Her work integrates evolutionary biology with public engagement, leading science communication initiatives such as El Festival del Artrópodo. She served as President of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas (2023–2025) and will begin her presidency at the World Dragonfly Association after ICO2025. She is also an advocate for equitable collaboration between the Global North and South in entomological research.

Algeria - Canada

International collaboration for a global odonatology

Dr. Rassim Khelifa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia University. His research explores how communities—particularly insect communities—respond to climate change, human-driven environmental impacts, sexual selection, and challenges in biodiversity conservation. Beyond his scientific work, Dr. Khelifa is a committed advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in STEM. He focuses especially on dismantling language barriers for non-English-speaking scientists and fostering equitable access to fieldwork opportunities. Dr. Khelifa holds two doctoral degrees: a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Zurich in Switzerland and a PhD in Ecology from Université Mouloud Mammeri in Algeria. He is also an active member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Dragonfly Specialist Group, contributing to the global assessment of dragonfly conservation status.

Mexico

Past, present, and future of Latin American Odonatology: decolonizing scientific work for the study and conservation of Odonata in the region

I'm a biologist from Mexico, with a PhD in Biological Sciences from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. My area of study includes evolutionary biology, specifically, I'm interested in understanding the processes and mechanisms of the speciation process. I've worked mainly with odonates (Hetaerina), butterflies, and lately, corals. My work has allowed me to discover groups of cryptic species and contribute to understanding the mechanisms involved in their speciation. I have been a member of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association since 2015. Also, I was editor-in-chief of the Hetaerina newsletters from its formation until last year, and currently I’m president of the Sociedad de Odonatología Latinoamericana - SOL.

Colombia

History of Colombian Odonatology: From Selys to the ICO 2025

I studied my bachelor's in Biology at the Universidad de Antioquia at my hometown Medellín (Colombia). There I started studying Odonata, I wanted to know how many Odonata species were around. That took me to study taxonomy and ecology. I did my Masters and PhD at INECOL in Xalapa (México) and then I did a postdoctoral stancy at Alabama University (USA) in the GEODE project. Currently I am back at the Universidad de Antioquia teaching population ecology and aquatic entomology. After almost 20 years of research on taxonomy, ecology, physiology, conservation and evolution of odonates I am still trying to understand the great diversity of odonates in Colombia.