UPCOMING EVENTS
ZDM19: September 28-30, 2026
Mathematics Institute, University of Oxford
2026 Franklin–Prasher–Kimmel (FPK) Webinar Series
April 23 • June 25 • September 24 • November 19, 2026 | 10AM-11AM edt
We are excited to announce the speakers for the 2026 Franklin–Prasher–Kimmel (FPK) Webinar Series, showcasing outstanding early-career researchers (PhD students and postdocs) in zebrafish biology.
Each Session will Feature:
2 ECR Speakers & Open Discussion
Organizers
The Young Researcher Committee (YoRC), with generous support from the ZDMS Early Career Investigator (ECI) Committee.
The YoRC of the European Zebrafish Society (EZS) & International Zebrafish Society (IZFS)
We have an exciting line-up of talks and hope to see you there!
ZDMS Sci-Art Competition
Submission Deadline: extended to SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
The Zebrafish Disease Models Society (ZDMS) invites artists, scientists, and trainees to participate in our inaugural SciArt Competition, celebrating the transformative impact of zebrafish research on human health.
Participants are asked to create an original illustration series or a short film (1–3 minutes), based on the focus areas identified by the ZDMS Advocacy Committee - see below the guidelines. Submissions should communicate key advances in human health enabled by zebrafish models in an engaging and accessible way.
This new initiative aims to bring together art and science to showcase how zebrafish research is transforming our understanding of human health and disease. We invite artists, scientists, trainees, and science communicators to create original illustration series or short films inspired by real scientific discoveries, based on research focus areas identified by the Advocacy Committee.
In addition to celebrating creativity, this competition is part of a broader advocacy effort to increase awareness of zebrafish as a powerful and versatile model organism for biomedical research. Through visual storytelling, we hope to engage both the scientific community and the public in new and inspiring ways.
Prizes will be awarded, and selected works may be featured in future ZDMS outreach and communication materials.
Innovative Preclinical Models for Pediatric Cancer Research
October 13-15, 2026
Nationwide Children's Hospital Conference Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Cancer in children represents ∼3% of the global incidence of cancer. Pediatric cancer exerts an outsized impact: beyond the physical and emotional toll on children, their families and the community, the number of years of productive life lost to pediatric cancers is proportionately higher than that of adult cancers. In the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer, multimodal approaches combining surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can cure many patients, but may cause lifelong health problems in survivors. Current therapies only modestly reflect increased knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of these cancers. Advances in next-generation sequencing have enabled unprecedented cataloguing of genetic aberrations in tumors, but understanding how these genetic changes drive cellular transformation, and how they can be effectively targeted, will require multidisciplinary collaboration and preclinical models that are truly representative of the in vivo environment. This meeting aims to focus on models and technologies that have the potential to transform our understanding of these diseases.
Organizers
James Amatruda | Pratiti (Mimi) Bandopadhayay | Ana Banito | Elaine Mardis
Save the Date - Neural Circuits & Behavior Conference
December 9–12, 2026 | Munich, Germany
Please save the date for the Neural Circuits & Behavior Conference, taking place from December 9–12, 2026, in Munich, Germany. The conference will bring together researchers studying neural circuits and behavior across levels of organization, with a strong focus on cutting-edge experimental and analytical approaches.
Keynote Speaker
Oded Rechavi, Tel Aviv University
Topics Include
Sensory & motor systems | Cognition | Social behavior | Neurodevelopment
Disease models | Imaging | Connectomics | Transcriptomics
Organizers
Herwig Baier | Joe Donovan | Leanne Godinho | Bettina Schmid
Further details on the scientific program, registration, and abstract submission will be announced soon.
We look forward to welcoming you to Munich in 2026!
