We are pleased to welcome you at the 19^th Annual Meeting of the GfBS. Under the patronage of the Institute of Palaeontology (University of Vienna) in collaboration with the Natural History Museum Vienna, this international meeting will be held at the Geocenter in the 9^th district of Vienna. It will start with an Icebreaker in the shadows of the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum Vienna, and will be closed with the conference dinner in the marvellous city hall of Vienna. With this year’s keynote speakers Guiseppe Marramà (University of Vienna) and Stefan Richter (University of Rostock), we were able to bring two highly recognized experts in their fields to this meeting. More than 40 participants’ talks cover almost all aspects of phylogeny, systematics, morphology, biodiversity, and ecology. Finally, three workshops will complete the meeting and introduce interested participants into new analytic techniques.

We wish you a very pleasant stay in Vienna, a productive and fruitful conference and stimulating discussions.

Cathrin Pfaff on behalf of the organisation committee