With the goal of improving gender diversity of life science faculty, the Leading Edge Symposium provides outstanding women and non-binary postdocs in biomedical research a platform to share their work and connect with one another, both professionally and personally.

Attendees will give short research talks, participate in lively discussions and network with both junior and senior investigators. A panel of carefully selected world leaders in biomedical research will provide mentorship and career development training, and representatives from institutions eager to recruit and support a diverse faculty will be invited to join.

Leading Edge Fellows join a community of postdocs and assistant professors in the biomedical sciences. The Leading Edge community communicates through a dedicated Slack, as well as monthly Zoom meet-ups. Career development panels occur throughout the year by Zoom (see the Panels page for past programming).

Fellows also present their work during an annual symposium hosted by HHMI's Janelia Research Campus. All costs are covered for speakers (travel, food, accommodation, childcare). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020, 2021, and 2022 symposia occurred virtually. We are excited that the 2023 Leading Edge Symposium will occur in-person at Janelia Research Campus from June 11-14! Recordings of the Fellow presentations are made available after the symposium on YouTube.

Visit leadingedgesymposium.org for more details.

Eligibility: We welcome applications from postdoctoral associates who plan to go on the job market in fall 2023 or later. Those who plan to apply for more than 3 faculty positions by May 2023 are not eligible.

In the seventh installment of this exciting conference, we will once again showcase the development of cutting-edge tools and technology for imaging, from cells to intact animals. Sessions will cover the design and discovery of new fluorescent proteins (and intriguing alternatives), and their incorporation into sensors for signaling molecules and cellular states. Innovative imaging modalities making use of such reagents, as well as biological discoveries gleaned from such experiments, will also be presented. We hope that the meeting will present a clear picture of how far these tools have come in recent years, and what additional reagents and capabilities are still needed to advance biology.

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

While the fly and worm connectomes have been available for some time, a growing number of connectomes continue to be generated. These connectomes have already changed the fields of experimental and theoretical neuroscience. Nevertheless, our ability to interpret them is limited by our inability to directly determine many parameters. These include, but are not limited to:

·      Identity of neurotransmitters
·      Location, identity, and characterization of receptors
·      Locations and types of gap junctions
·      Enumeration of neuromodulators, which cells emit them, and receptor locations
·      Synapse components and how they differ between synapses
·      Synapse strength estimates  
·      Types and reconstruction of glia
·      Measurement and control of the nervous system in operation
·      Strategy for adding non-connectome-derived features into connectome databases

Tools and techniques for acquiring, storing, and utilizing these data are badly needed.  This conference will bring together practitioners in these diverse fields with the goal of increasing the impact of current and future connectomes by adding additional data types.

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

This conference will focus on biomechanical body models, bringing together scientists from neuroethology, physics simulation, machine learning, and the computer vision and graphics communities. Recent technological advances in automated behavior analysis, anatomical microscopy, simulation software and machine learning now enable detailed biomechanical simulations at the whole-body scale. Leveraging these advances, we aim to assess the state of the art, identify existing gaps, and catalyze an interdisciplinary community to address those gaps. The conference will include invited and selected talks, tutorials on cutting-edge techniques, and breakout discussions focused on individual model organisms and approaches. 

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

The ability to develop and execute adaptive foraging strategies in response to changing, complex environments is an essential tool of survival for many species, from insects to rodents to humans. Interest in the neural basis of foraging and its associated cognitive, sensory, and motor processes has exploded in recent years. As neuroscience moves towards an increasingly integrated understanding of brain function, studying ethologically relevant foraging behaviors offers an important opportunity for progress. However, gaining a mechanistic understanding of diverse foraging behaviors and their neural underpinnings requires collaboration across disciplines including systems neuroscience, cognitive science, ethology, ecology, and theory. This conference aims to foster intellectual exchange across these disciplines by bringing together some of the brightest minds excited about the neural basis of foraging to address three key questions:

1. Is it possible to establish mechanistic principles of foraging that are shared across species?
2. How can the study of foraging contribute to our understanding of cognitive or sensory processes in the brain?
3. What key questions and knowledge gaps should drive the future direction of foraging research?

Through a combination of talks, panel discussions, and poster presentations we hope to bridge diverse perspectives and work towards a roadmap for this emerging field.

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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Oct 15, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

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.

Females and males of many species exhibit striking sexual dimorphisms in their behaviors due to sex-specific differences in the underlying neural circuitry. Fundamental studies in model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, have shed light on the molecular and developmental mechanisms that give rise to sexual dimorphisms in the architecture and function of neural circuits. However, it has been previously difficult to decode the circuit logic of how male and female brains differ and the extent to which these dimorphisms are shared across species. Recent advances in quantitative behavioral analysis, genomics, functional imaging, and connectomic tools now have the potential to transform our understanding of sexually-dimorphic features of neural circuits.

This conference will bring together researchers studying sexual dimorphisms in neural architecture, molecular signaling, and behavior, working in diverse invertebrate and vertebrate models to offer a comparative approach. Through presentations and discussions, we aim to reveal how emerging tools can be applied to elucidate the neural basis for sexual dimorphic behaviors and develop a broader understanding of the conserved principles underlying sexually dimorphic circuits.

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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Nov 1, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

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.

Launched in fall of 2022, Janelia's 4D Cellular Physiology (4DCP) research program focuses on how cells work in tissues and collectively give rise to an organism's physiological functions. The second iteration of this conference will bring together experts in cell biology, neuroscience, physiology, imaging, theory & computation, and tool building to share the latest advances and discuss future directions in understanding mechanisms of cellular and molecular coordination within and across organ systems. Presentations and discussions will cover topics such as spatial genomics & proteomics, brain-body interactions, metabolism, peripheral nervous system, cell signaling & dynamics, tissue morphogenesis and more.

Janelia will cover lodging and meals for all onsite 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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Nov 3, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

**This conference will be a hybrid event - apply via the link on this page for onsite participation, including presenting a poster or talk (if selected). Virtual registration will be announced in the coming weeks.

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.

Organized by Jennifer Prescher (UC Irvine), Zev Gartner (UCSF), Luke Lavis (Janelia), this conference will once again bring together experts in the development of chemistry-based tools that help to unravel signaling networks within cells and tissues. The major themes will include: 1) design of analytical tools for cells and tissue networks, including imaging agents, 2) methods to perturb biological networks in cells and tissues, and 3) strategies to build artificial/model cellular networks for study.

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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Nov 8, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

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.

As microscopy gains acceptance as an indispensable tool in life sciences, the equitable dissemination of this highly resource-intensive technology remains a challenge, particularly in resource-constrained scientific communities. While there are many individual solutions featuring cost-effective hardware, open-source software, and capacity-building and training programs, there is no concerted strategy to integrate these efforts into a coherent approach. 

This unique conference will explore the challenges, solutions, and opportunities in microscopy dissemination. It is not meant as a platform to discuss state-of-the-art imaging technologies, but rather aims to bring together developers of easy-to-disseminate hardware, software, and imaging probes, as well as representatives from global imaging organizations, microscopy initiatives, funders, industry partners, and open-access imaging centers. Joined by end-users of microscopy technologies from international and domestic under-served scientific communities, presentations and discussion will focus on how to integrate common goals into unified strategies to bring imaging technologies to a broader range of communities.

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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Nov 15, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

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.

Computational imaging methods combine optics with computation to design imaging systems that are smaller, faster, cheaper, or able to image new things. Machine learning and differentiable optics simulators play a key role in this field, both for solving inverse problems and for modeling and designing optics. This conference will convene experts in optics (microscopy, photography, astronomy) and machine learning and optical modeling, with the goal of generating new synergies among them. We hope to advance the field of computational imaging by delineating and discussing common problems, solutions, and applications in each sub-field.

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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Nov 22, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

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.

Extended phenotypes are the effects of genes outside of the organism. This conference will focus on the manipulations of one organism by another, such as the induction of novel behaviors by parasites. We will bring together researchers studying diverse topics, ranging from the microscopic, such as the manipulation of cells by viruses, to the macroscopic, including the induction by parasites of new organs on plants. The two major goals of the meeting are to seek common themes emerging from studies of disparate systems and to identify new tools and approaches that may be broadly useful in studying extended phenotypes.

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 workshop and will also have an opportunity to extend their stay for continued discussion and collaborative time. 

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

Application Deadline: Dec 8, 2023 (11:59 pm ET)

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.