The second iteration of our SimBodies conference will focus on computational simulation of biomechanical body models, bringing together scientists from the neuroethology, physics simulation, machine learning, and computer vision communities. Recent technological advances in automated behavior analysis, anatomical microscopy, simulation software and machine learning now enable detailed biomechanical simulations of behaving animals at the whole-body scale. We aim to assess the state of the art, identify existing gaps, and continue to foster an interdisciplinary community to address those gaps. The program will include invited and selected talks highlighting individual model organisms and cross-cutting approaches.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Applications are closed.
 

Invited Participants

View the list of invited participants.
 

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

The fourth installment of our ChemTools conference will bring together experts in the development of chemistry-based tools that unravel signaling networks within cells and tissues. Presentations and discussions will focus on three major themes: 1) major platforms and analytical tools to measure cells and tissue networks, 2) methods to perturb biological networks in cells and tissues, and 3) applications of these tools to make novel insights to biological systems.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Applications are closed.

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

The 2026 4D Cellular Physiology (4DCP) conference will delve into the fascinating crosstalk between mechanics and metabolism across biological scales, from single cells to entire organisms. This emerging field of mechano-metabolism addresses how physical forces and cellular metabolism work together to drive development, tissue repair, adaptation, and homeostasis - and how their imbalance contributes to diseases like cancer. Talks and discussions will spotlight cutting-edge research on mechano-metabolism in development, pathophysiology, tissue microenvironments, and morphogenesis. Attendees will also gain insights into novel tools, methods, and theoretical frameworks at the interface of mechanics, signaling, and metabolism.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all onsite participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in your application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Applications are closed.

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for as broad a representation across labs as possible and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

For many years, our understanding of early mammalian development has been limited by the inability to visualize development as it happens. Technical limitations, physical inaccessibility, and complex computational problems have all hindered our ability to answer long-standing questions in the field of mouse development. Recent advances in light microscopy and AI present us with new avenues and opportunities to address outstanding questions.

For the 10th anniversary of this conference, which alternates between Janelia and EMBL Heidelberg, we are bringing together members of the mouse developmental biology community with experts in cutting-edge machine learning and microscopy technologies. This year’s meeting will focus on how emerging artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches can be harnessed to create smarter microscopes, automated image analysis pipelines, and data-driven models. The goal is to unlock new insights from the rapidly expanding amount of data generated by next-generation technologies, from transcriptomics to advanced imaging platforms.

The intimate nature of Janelia meetings fosters an interactive and collaborative environment, with researchers across disciplines coming together for an intense, focused, 3-day gathering to tackle some of the most outstanding questions in mammalian development.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: April 9, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

The third installment of this exciting conference will convene leading investigators working at the interface of cell and neuronal biology to explore new concepts underlying neural development, maintenance and degeneration. Sessions will highlight emerging areas of neuronal cell biology, advances in our understanding of intracellular processes in health and disease, and innovative tools and approaches for probing neuronal function across species - from circuits to cells to molecules. Topics will include neuronal endo/lysosomal systems, organelle interaction, proteostasis, metabolism, synaptic development and maintenance, glia–neuron interactions, brain vasculature, signaling pathways, neurodegeneration and more.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: April 30, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

This meeting will convene a diverse group of researchers spanning the somatic, autonomic, and enteric divisions of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) to explore its full functional diversity in vertebrates. By bringing together multiple disciplines, we hope to spark integrative discussions that highlight how these three major divisions interact, overlap, and inform one another. The program will feature recent scientific breakthroughs, novel methodologies, and emerging technologies that are pushing the boundaries of how we understand the PNS. A central goal is to encourage meaningful crosstalk across divisions, recognizing that many of the most exciting insights emerge at the intersections. With the field of PNS research expanding rapidly, this meeting arrives at a critical moment—one where new connections can drive the next wave of discovery. We expect this conference to serve not only as a showcase for cutting-edge research but also as a catalyst for future innovation and interdisciplinary partnerships.

The intimate nature of Janelia meetings fosters an interactive and collaborative environment, with researchers across disciplines coming together for an intense, focused, 3-day gathering to tackle some of the most outstanding questions in mammalian development.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: May 14, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

Now in its eighth installment, this conference will highlight the latest advances in protein engineering that are driving the development of innovative tools for biological imaging - from single cells to whole organisms. Sessions will explore the discovery and design of next-generation fluorescent proteins and emerging alternatives, as well as their integration into biosensors that report on signaling molecules, cellular activities, and physiological states. We will also feature progress in imaging technologies that leverage these reagents, and the biological insights they’ve enabled. A growing focus will be on the use of machine learning and computational approaches to accelerate protein design and sensor optimization, revealing how these methods are reshaping the landscape of molecular tool development. Presentations and discussions will provide a forward-looking view of how these advances are expanding our ability to visualize and understand biology in action.

The intimate nature of Janelia meetings fosters an interactive and collaborative environment, with researchers across disciplines coming together for an intense, focused, 3-day gathering to tackle some of the most outstanding questions in mammalian development.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: May 21, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

New experimental techniques have enabled the observation of neural circuits at an unprecedented scale, from whole-brain connectomes to large-scale recordings of thousands of neurons. How can we leverage these large datasets to determine how the brain performs complex computations? Analyzing such large datasets requires new AI-powered computational tools. These data-driven AI approaches are essential not only for analyzing individual experiments, but also for integrating insights across diverse experimental paradigms, bridging the functional gaps between environmental stimuli, neuronal activity patterns, and behavioral outputs. Moreover, AI tools serve as exploratory platforms that can generate novel experimental conditions and testable hypotheses, guiding the design of future experiments. This conference will bring together scientists using AI to analyze and model neural circuits.

The intimate nature of Janelia meetings fosters an interactive and collaborative environment, with researchers across disciplines coming together for an intense, focused, 3-day gathering to discuss innovative applications of AI to large-scale neural datasets.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: May 28, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

Multicellular organisms exhibit complex three-dimensional architectures where proper physiological function depends on precise spatial arrangements across molecular, cellular, and tissue scales. Capturing these arrangements—by spatially mapping molecular profiles and cellular organization within their native biological context—is critical for understanding both normal physiology and disease pathology. In recent years, transformative methodological innovations in both experimental technologies and computational analysis frameworks have greatly expanded our ability to systematically and quantitatively reveal the spatial organization of genome architecture, gene and protein expression, metabolic activity, and organellar structures with unprecedented resolution and precision.

The Spatial Multi-Omics conference will bring together leading experts in spatial genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and ultrastructural cellular mapping, as well as multi-modality data integration and machine learning approaches. Participants will share the latest technical advances and applications, explore emerging frontiers, and foster interdisciplinary dialogue aimed at unlocking new insights into multi-dimensional biology of tissues and whole organisms.

The intimate nature of Janelia meetings fosters an interactive and collaborative environment, with researchers across disciplines coming together for an intense, focused, 3-day gathering to tackle some of the most outstanding questions in mammalian development.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: June 4, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.

Cells, the fundamental units of life, constantly exchange information with their neighbors and the extracellular environment to guide decisions. These communications are essential to how organisms are built, sustained, and ultimately evolve. Communication occurs through diverse mechanisms—from molecular signaling and gap junctions to symbiotic relationships—spanning milliseconds to evolutionary time scales.

This conference will bring together leading experts in molecular, cell, developmental, evolutionary, and computational biology to explore how cell communication shapes cell behavior, drives tissue morphogenesis and development, contributes to emergent properties and biological diversity, adapts with age, and supports regeneration. These across-scale discussions among participants will bridge experimental, theoretical, and computational perspectives. We aim to foster new collaborations and conceptual frameworks that connect fast intracellular dynamics to long-term ecological and evolutionary processes – as well as to stimulate methodological innovation and build community.

The intimate nature of Janelia meetings fosters an interactive and collaborative environment, with researchers across disciplines coming together for an intense, focused, 3-day gathering to tackle some of the most outstanding questions in mammalian development.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all participants, and travel support is available to those in need (please indicate need in that portion of the application). Participants are expected to stay for the duration of the meeting.

The meeting will begin at 6pm ET on the first day and end by 1pm ET on the last.

Application deadline: June 11, 2026 (11:59pm ET).

Please note: Because Janelia conferences are intentionally small and selective, we may not be able to accommodate all applicants. We strive for a broad representation across labs and therefore may limit participation to one person per group. Preference is given to applicants who are active researchers in the field and intend to present their work as a poster or selected talk.