Symposium
Translating animal behavior in neuroscience
Join us for an interesting hybrid symposium co-hosted by SDR Scientific, the Asheeta Prasad Lab and Noldus.
This event is your gateway to connecting with peers, discovering the latest in behavioral tech, and getting hands-on insights into EthoVision XT applications in neuroscience.
About the symposium
Join us at our symposium in Sydney!
Date | September 24th, 2025
Time | 09:00 - 13:30 AEST
Location | Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney
Program
Hear from Dr. Asheeta Prasad, whose research untangles the brain circuits behind motivation, decision-making, and addiction. We also will have a talk from Dr. Mohmad Farooq Shaikh on the use of zebrafish for epilepsy research. Gain a global perspective with Dr. Lucas Noldus, founder and Chief Scientist at Noldus IT, as he reveals how behavioral technologies are powering research around the globe. Plus, meet Melita Zadel, Channel Partner Sales Manager at Noldus, who’ll walk you through the practical tools and workflows that make EthoVision XT indispensable in labs everywhere.
- 08:30 - Coffee & Welcome
- 09:00 - Presentation by Dr. Asheeta Prasad
- 09:45 - Talk by Dr. Lucas Noldus
- 10:30 - Coffee break
- 11:00 - Presentation by Dr. Mohmad Farooq Shaikh
- 11:45 - Talk by Melita Zadel
- 12:30 - Lunch
Speakers
Dr. Asheeta Prasad | Senior lecturer - University of Sydney
Dr. Asheeta Prasad heads the Behavioral Neuroscience
Lab at the Charles Perkins Centre. Her work illuminates how reward and motivation
circuits shape learning and behavior, and what happens when they go off-track in
addiction.
By combining advanced behavioral models with cutting-edge neuroscience, her
team bridges basic research and translational impact.
Dr. Lucas Noldus | Founder & Chief Scientist - Noldus IT
Dr. Lucas Noldus is the founder and Chief Scientist of Noldus Information Technology, a global leader in behavioural research tools with systems used in thousands of labs worldwide. In 2019 he was appointed Professor of Behavior, Information Technology and Innovation at Radboud University’s Donders Institute. Author of more than 140 publications, he was elected Fellow of the Netherlands Academy of Engineering in 2023. Lucas continues to bridge science, innovation, and sustainability through his academic, corporate, and advisory work.
Dr. Mohmad Farooq Shaikh | Associate Professor - CSU
Associate Professor Farooq joined CSU in February 2023 as an Associate Professor in Pharmacy (Pharmacology). He is also appointed as Head of Pharmacy discipline at CSU. He is an expert neuropharmacologist, interested in translational neuroscience research. He has published more than 100 international, high impact articles in the journal of repute. He was listed in Elsevier-Stanford top 2% scientists’ list in 2022. He has won several awards for excellence in research and supervision at Monash University and Malaysian national awards for teaching and research.
Melita Zadel | Channel sales manager - Noldus IT
Melita Zadel will discuss the solutions Noldus IT has
developed in cooperation with researchers, that aim at providing the best insights into
behavior of many animal species.
She will mainly focus on the long and short term
observation and measurement of behaviour of rodents, using the updated home cage
monitoring system.