May 19–21, 2026
Charlottesville, Virginia
Promoting groundbreaking neuroscience research.
Join us for the 2026 University of Virginia Brain Symposium at the Contemplative Commons building in Charlottesville, VA. The symposium seeks to enhance the UVA neuroscience community through research talks, a poster session & networking events, and other educational opportunities.
The agenda will feature lectures by UVA researchers as well as national and international leaders in basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience research across disciplines.
Registration for university and community members is now open! We hope to see you there!
Registration is now open!
Attendees are required to register in advance of the event to allow for event planning & distribution of event information.
Please use the link below to learn more about registration.
Poster Abstract Submission
We will host a poster session and reception on Wednesday, May 20, afternoon, at the Contemplative Commons.
We are currently accepting abstract submissions from across the University for the poster session.
The deadline for submissions is March 31.
We hope that you can join us as either a presenter or an attendee!
Explore the Schedule
The 2026 symposium will include 2.5 days of research talks in four thematic areas of neuroscience that represent strengths at the University of Virginia: Systems Neuroscience, Contemplative Sciences & Psychedelics, Maternal Mental Health & Brain Development, and Neurodegeneration.
The event will also include a series of neuroscience TED-Style presentations, two special topic presentations, a poster session, and multiple opportunities for networking.
Thank you to everyone who has made this event possible, including:
2026 Planning Committee
Stefen Beeler-Duden, PhD
JC Cang, PhD
Austin Cooper, PhD
Kelly Crace, PhD
Xuemei Huang, MD, PhD
John Lukens, PhD
Annie Marchildon
Julie Mollica
Edward Nieh, PhD
Jennifer Payne, MD
Kevin Pelphrey, PhD
J. Kim Penberthy, PhD
Michael Sheehy, PhD
Tara Srivastava
Helen Wang, PhD
Emily Warren, PhD
Elizabeth Wenzel, PhD
Yajun Zhang, PhD
Contemplative Sciences Center
Kelly Crace
Cecelia Magargee
Anna Arp
Tanya Evans, PhD
Amy Fansler, MPH
Jaideep Kapur, MBBS, PhD
Brain Institute
Brenda Loving
Kimmy Meegan
Katie Pelland
Meghan Puglia, PhD
Chris Sheehan
Megan Wardius
Tesha Westbrook
Questions?
Feel free to contact us using the form, email, or phone.
Email
BrainUVA@uvahealth.org
Phone
(434) 982-5558