Bivalves 2023—Where are we going? An overview of an international meeting

During an unexpected heatwave, just over 100 scientists, from more than fifteen different countries attended ‘Bivalves – where are we going?’ held at the University of Cambridge (UK) between 5th and 8th September, 2023, a meeting organised by Liz Harper, John Taylor, Emily Glover and Katie Collins (Fig.1). This was the first international meeting specifically focussed on bivalves since Barcelona in 2006, itself a successor of previous bivalve meetings that took place in London (1977), Drumheller (1995) and Cambridge (1999). Just as significantly, it occurred after the restrictions of the global pandemic and a key aim was to provide an open, relaxed, in-person meeting where old interests could be rekindled and new collaborations and friendships forged. Pleasingly 28% of the attendees were undergraduate or postgraduate students.