Olfactory navigation is required for the survival of virtually all living creatures from unicellular organisms to mammals. This conference will focus on olfaction and spatial orientation as a unifying theme across organisms with different viewpoints: mechanistic, computational and evolutionary. We will examine how model organisms, with distinct sensory capabilities and constraints have evolved to solve this problem. From a comparative perspective, we will seek to extract fundamental principles related to the detection of (noisy) sensory stimuli and its conversion into goal-directed responses. We will also examine the modulatory effects of internal states and learning on sensorimotor control. We anticipate that control mechanisms directing orientation will be relevant to the study of sensory systems other than olfaction. Such mechanisms should also represent a source of inspiration to engineer new technologies.

The conference will tackle three challenges. The first pertains to neural mechanisms that underlie specific sensorimotor functions (filtering of noise, decision-making, etc.). Moving down from sensors to control circuits, we will discuss our understanding of the emergence of action selection from the activity of neural circuits. The second challenge will be more technical. Recently significant technological progresses have been made by mapping neural circuits in connectivity diagrams, by monitoring and perturbing neuronal activity in behaving animals. We will evaluate how these methods can be combined with mathematical modeling to test and to refine mechanistic hypothesis about elementary sensorimotor functions carried out by neural-circuit motifs. Finally, we will leverage a comparative analysis across model organisms to extract computational principles common to the biological implementations of adaptive navigational algorithms.

Applications are closed.

Representational drift poses the question of how sensory perception, memory, motor behavior, and task performance are maintained over time, and provides a window into the adaptive properties of neural circuits on long timescales. Elucidating the underlying causes and implications of this phenomenon may be crucial to our understanding of how neuronal function underlies basic sensory, motor, and cognitive processes. Proper characterization of drift across the nervous system, both in terms of its function and underlying mechanism, will require concerted effort and cooperation on both experimental and theoretical fronts. This conference will spur these efforts across species, brain regions, cell types and behaviors, and provide a forum for experimentalists and theorists to debate the causes and implications of drift as well as formulate promising directions to gain traction on this question. The format will include long and short talks, posters, breakout sessions and ample formal and informal discussion time.

Applications are closed.

Neuropeptides comprise the largest and most diverse class of neuromodulators and regulate a diverse array of critical processes. While their importance is well-established, fundamental questions about synthesis, processing, release, transmittal, reception, and signal transduction remain unanswered. Recent tool developments and advances in experimental and genetic techniques have the potential to transform our understanding of neuropeptide function from subcellular synthesis to behavioral output. Now is an ideal time to begin redefining our understanding of how neuropeptides layer with circuitry and metabolism to govern physiological functions and behavior.

This meeting will bring together researchers studying the influence of neuropeptide signaling on physiology and behavior at both the cellular and circuit level in a range of organisms and across disciplines, including experimental and computational tool developers. Through presentations and discussions, we look forward to 1) generating new questions and hypotheses about how neuropeptides regulate behavior and how they themselves are regulated, 2) identifying questions that emerging tools could be used to address, and 3) defining new tools and strategies for probing neuropeptide function.

Applications are closed.

The genetic, optical, and behavioral tractability of larval zebrafish and related species offers unprecedented opportunities for uncovering principles governing the large-scale organization of the vertebrate brain. A thriving community of interdisciplinary scientists is critical for building and using the sophisticated computational tools required to extract quantitative insights from the field’s rich and expansive data, as well as for devising models and theories that can guide future experiments. This workshop aims to provide a community-building forum for researchers at all career stages interested in the interface between zebrafish neuroscience and computation to come together, share tools, explore ideas, and chart a collaborative path forward.

This hands-on workshop will focus equal parts on theory and computational tools.  All attendees will present their work in short presentations with ample time for questions and discussion. The workshop will also include longer tutorials, selected from a pool of proposals submitted at the time of application, and interested parties are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to share their research in a deeper way with the rest of the community. The final portion will include semi-structured collaborative time to foster interactions between participants.  For instance, some participants might try out a computational workflow from another lab, while others might jointly apply an untested theoretical model to a new dataset.

This will be a highly interactive and collaborative meeting, and space will be limited to foster direct interactions.  Applications from students, postdocs, and early career lab heads are encouraged. Theoretical and computational neuroscientists, as well as experimentalists interested in incorporating more theory and computation into their work, are welcome. We especially encourage applications from women and those who identify with groups underrepresented in science.

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. 

Applications are closed.

Application Instructions​ 

To be considered, applicants must apply online and provide:

1. Current CV
2. Statement of interest
3. Research abstract for a short talk
4. Tutorial proposal (optional)

Neural circuits implement transfer functions that combine sensory inputs and prior experience to choose a behavioral response. Historically, with the study of the most convenient animal models —from the giant axon of the squid and the lobster's stomatogastric circuits to Aplysia's synapses and C. elegans' circuits — neuroscientists revealed some of the operating principles of the nervous system, which were then found to apply broadly across phyla. The third installment of this meeting will once again bring together neuroscientists working on a broad diversity of animal models in an effort to compare circuits across phyla as a means to crack their function.

Applications are closed

This meeting will focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the formation of precise patterns of synaptic connectivity. Over the past decade, considerable progress has been made in uncovering the molecular identity and structure of adhesion complexes at synapses, diverse cell surface recognition molecules contributing to wiring specificity, and the role of activity in sculpting the neural circuitry. In parallel, detailed connectomics at the light microscopy and EM level have uncovered the extraordinary specificity and complexity of connectivity, and single cell sequencing has defined cell types and cell-type specific patterns of cell-surface protein expression during circuit assembly. Light microscopic techniques from super-resolution to expansion microscopy and live imaging have led to important advances in uncovering cell biological mechanisms of circuit assembly. Presentations and discussions will highlight important advances in the field and consider current challenges and future directions.

Applications are closed.

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.

Organized by Ann Hermundstad, James Fitzgerald, and Allyson Sgro, this workshop is intended as a "by the students, for the students" meeting. Other than the organizers and invited speakers, participants will include only students and postdocs working on a variety of problems in theoretical biophysics, broadly defined.

Organized by Emily Dennis, Sue Ann Koay, Gabriela Michel, Michael Reiser, and Carsen Stringer, this Junior Scientist Workshop provides an exciting opportunity for graduate students, recent PhDs, and those in similar positions, like staff scientists interested in the mechanistic basis of cognition to present their research to a diverse audience and discuss ideas for the future, while also discovering potential independent early-career options at Janelia.

Organized by Ann Hermundstad, Sandro Romani, and James Fitzgerald, this workshop is intended as a "by the students, for the students" meeting. Participants will include only students and postdocs doing theoretical neuroscience research.