Developmental Specification of Complex Behaviors

Developmental programs within neural stem cells and their lineages program identity, connectivity, and function of individual neuron types, and we believe that understanding circuit development will reveal the organization of information flow in the nervous system that shapes behavior. Testing this hypothesis spans disciplines from developmental biology to behavioral neuroscience and requires diverse expertise, from molecular biology to imaging to mathematical modeling. Over the course of this meeting, we will address three broad challenges: 1) how lineage-derived information shapes circuits and connectivity patterns for innate and learned behaviors, 2) how endocrine and paracrine developmental signaling coordinate developmental transitions and sex differentiation events across the brain to produce juvenile and adult behaviors from the same genome, and 3) the development of unprecedented, evolutionarily relevant circuit engineering approaches and design of new computational modalities in living brains. We look forward to a uniquely transformative gathering of researchers working at the intersection of development and behavior to illuminate how developmental mechanisms shape complex behaviors.

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: June 17, 2024 (11:59 p.m. 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.