I will talk about our ongoing work in developing robust and reproducible protocols for the generation of brain-region-specific neuronal cell types and organoids and our ongoing efforts to apply these hiPSC-derived neural models to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying embryonic brain development and disorders.

Maternal environmental exposures, from infection to suboptimal diets, increase risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. I will present recent our work identifying cellular-to-circuit level mechanisms underlying maladaptive behavior in offspring and demonstrating the translational potential of multi-omics-informed, precision targeting of the maternal and offspring gut microbiome.

Conference Overview AI is rapidly reshaping society, science, and computing. Yet the energy and computational demands of frontier AI is exposing limits on efficiency, sustainability, and accessibility. Realizing AI’s full potential will require more than increasingly capable models; it will require radically new approaches to how AI systems are designed, built, and deployed.

This inaugural workshop, Convergent Intelligence: AI hardware Co-design and the Future of Computing, is jointly organized by Pathways to Enable Open Source Ecosystems HLS4ML Project, the Discovery Partners Institute, and the Accelerated AI Algorithms for Data-Driven Discovery Institute, to bring together researchers, engineers, developers, and industry partners to explore new directions to define the future of AI computing.

The theme of convergent intelligence is an emerging paradigm for advancing AI in which algorithms, platforms, architectures, design tools, and data resources are co-developed in close coordination to drive innovation. Participants will explore how this integrated approach can advance the frontier of AI & quantum and accelerate discovery.

2026 Personalized Nutrition Innovation Day - The Science of Eating: Variability, Behavior, and the Role of Personalized Nutrition, hosted by the Personalized Nutrition Initiative at Illinois on September 29, 2026 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

🗓️ Abstract Deadline: August 24, 2026
🗓️ Registration Deadline: September 7, 2026

We're excited to welcome two outstanding keynote speakers:

🔹 Andres Acosta, MD, PhD
 Professor of Medicine and Director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Program, Mayo Clinic
Presentation: Precision Medicine for Obesity Based on Energy Balance Phenotypes 

🔹 James O. Hill, PhD
 Distinguished Professor of Nutrition Sciences and Director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Presentation: The Complete Weight Journey in the GLP-1 Era  

Abstract: Human attention has become an increasingly scarce resource in everyday digital life. People are constantly exposed to notifications, messages, news updates, social media content, and AI-generated information, all competing for limited attentional capacity. In this talk, I will share our research trajectory around human attention, highlighting how attention has served as a primary focus across our work over the past decade. I will organize this body of work around five main directions: 1) protecting attention from unnecessary interruptions, 2) utilizing attention during opportune moments, 3) guiding attention toward important information, 4) saving attention by delegating routine work to intelligent agents, and 5) tracking attention through smartphone behavior. I will highlight representative projects that illustrate how we have approached each of these directions. Building on this trajectory, I will discuss how these lines of work are shaping our current and future exploration of agentic systems centered on human attention.

Bio: Yung-Ju (Stanley) Chang is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and a Joint Research Fellow at the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He leads the Agentic Intelligence for Mobile Engagement and Experience (AIMEX) Lab. His research spans mobile attention and multitasking, mobile media consumption, human–agent interaction, mobile crowdsourcing, social media influencers, and digital wellbeing. He collaborates across disciplines and has worked closely with scholars in communication to understand how people engage with different forms of media content.

Abstract

For decades, the dominant model of memory has been that the neurons encoding a memory are fixed for its lifetime. Hippocampal place cells, which fire when an animal visits a specific location, were thought to be the clearest example. Calcium imaging changed this picture when it allowed us to follow the same neurons over days and weeks: the neural representation for the same space slowly evolves over time. This phenomenon, called representational drift, raises a basic question about how memory can survive when the neurons holding it keep changing. Virtual reality is what makes this question answerable. In the real world we cannot control what an animal sees, smells, or does from day to day. In my lab, mice run through virtual environments while we image hundreds of neurons, and under these controlled conditions drift persists, so it is coming from the brain rather than the world. I will discuss ongoing work in which mice traverse procedurally generated environments, along with new paradigms for the inputs to place cells and memory stability in health and disease.

Bio

Jason Climer’s research asks how the hippocampus stores and updates memories over time, with a focus on representational drift in place cell populations. The lab's central hypothesis is that forgetting is adaptive, and that drift is its signature rather than a failure of the system. To test this, the lab combines two-photon calcium and glutamate imaging with virtual reality tasks in head-fixed mice. He earned his PhD with Michael Hasselmo at Boston University's Center for Memory and Brain and completed postdoctoral training with Dan Dombeck at Northwestern University.

This session will introduce you to the range of non-tenure track faculty roles in academia (e.g., Lecturer, Teaching Assistant Professor, Adjunct Instructor, etc.). We will discuss issues like employment stability, common work responsibilities, and more. This session will better equip you to understand the landscape of higher education in the U.S., whether you are actively seeking employment in roles like these or just curious about them.

No registration required. This session will be broadcast online at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace 

See the full listing of Graduate College workshops at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/workshops

*If you require any disability-related accommodations to participate in this workshop more fully, please email gradsuccess@illinois.edu

If you are starting (or jumpstarting) your job search, we've got you covered. This workshop will provide an overview of the entire job search process from beginning to explore career paths and finding roles, through preparing effective application materials and excelling in an interview. Whether you're curious about what it takes to find a job outside of higher education or you're actively looking for jobs, this workshop will help refine your strategy.

No registration required. This session is available online at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace

See the full listing of Graduate College workshops at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/workshops

Schedule a career advising appointment at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/careeradvising

*If you require any disability-related accommodations to participate in this workshop more fully, please email gradsuccess@illinois.edu

Create the "write" habit! Our writing group provides graduate students with dedicated time to make progress on writing in a supportive atmosphere. The writing group provides structured writing, break, and discussion time, with each meeting consisting of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. 

You will be working on your own current writing (e.g., thesis, dissertation, manuscript). These groups do not offer feedback--if you're looking to learn more and improve your writing, check out our events or make an appointment to get individualized feedback. These groups are ideal for graduate students who are seeking to create or return to a writing routine, make progress and meet deadlines on long-term projects, or jump-start a new writing project. Find more information and our Writing Group FAQs here, and learn more about our consultations and policies.

Our writing groups are held every Tuesday from 9:30am-12:30pm, and we encourage you to attend regularly. We will not meet on campus holidays.

This event will be held in a hybrid format: Join us in-person in the Main Library Orange Room. Or, join us online. The Zoom link will be in your registration confirmation email and in the weekly reminder emails.

The Writers Workshop will email you a weekly reminder. You only need to register once for the recurring writing group. Please register using your University of Illinois email.

Many international graduate students and postdocs will secure full-time employment in the United States. Find out what you need to know about U.S. immigration policies to make a smooth transition. This presentation will discuss the H-1B petition process for full-time hires and options for permanent residence in the U.S. The speaker will be Thomas Arkell, an attorney practicing immigration and employment law.

No registration required. This presentation will be held in Graduate College Room 202 (507 E. Green St) and simulcast online at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace. [NOTE: Questions will only be taken from in-person attendees.]

This workshop is open to anyone who wants to learn more about immigration pathways for international scholars. 

See the full listing of Graduate College workshops at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/workshops

*If you require any disability-related accommodations to participate in this workshop more fully, please email gradsuccess@illinois.edu

In the first 30 minutes of this session, the presenter will outline major dual career considerations for a faculty job search. The remaining 30 minutes will be devoted to questions and conversation to get you the answers you need going forward. This workshop is relevant for those in relationships with one academic or with multiple academics.

No registration required. This session will be broadcast online at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/eventspace

See the full listing of Graduate College workshops at https://go.grad.illinois.edu/workshops

*If you require any disability-related accommodations to participate in this workshop more fully, please email gradsuccess@illinois.edu

During this workshop, we will discuss the fundamentals of proposal writing, guiding undergraduate students to formulate successful research projects and explain their research in a concise and compelling manner that is understandable to a general audience. Students will leave the workshop with (1) basic knowledge about research proposals and their structure, (2) tactics and tools to write successful research statements, and (3) a list of resources for assistance in the writing process. This workshop is a collaboration between the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Writers Workshop and will be most well-suited for undergraduates who are drafting proposals for the first time, hoping to improve their proposal writing skills, and/or applying for an OUR Research Support Grant.

This event will be held in the Armory in room 136 (Armory floor plan). It is open to current University of Illinois affiliates (students, faculty, and staff). Please register using your Illinois email address by October 6, and Writers Workshop will send a reminder on the morning of the event.

Create the "write" habit! Our writing group provides graduate students with dedicated time to make progress on writing in a supportive atmosphere. The writing group provides structured writing, break, and discussion time, with each meeting consisting of a short goal-setting conversation, quiet writing time, and a concluding reflection and wrap-up. 

You will be working on your own current writing (e.g., thesis, dissertation, manuscript). These groups do not offer feedback--if you're looking to learn more and improve your writing, check out our events or make an appointment to get individualized feedback. These groups are ideal for graduate students who are seeking to create or return to a writing routine, make progress and meet deadlines on long-term projects, or jump-start a new writing project. Find more information and our Writing Group FAQs here, and learn more about our consultations and policies.

Our writing groups are held every Friday from 9:30am-12:30pm, and we encourage you to attend regularly. We will not meet on campus holidays.

This event will be held in a hybrid format: Join us in-person in the Main Library Orange Room. Or, join us online. The Zoom link will be in your registration confirmation email and in the weekly reminder emails.

The Writers Workshop will email you a weekly reminder. You only need to register once for the recurring writing group. Please register using your University of Illinois email.

Stop by on Fridays for our monthly Talk & Tour! Gain insights about the artwork on view in both special exhibitions and the collection galleries.

We offer a variety of accessibility supports to help ensure visitors can participate. Contact us at kam-accessibility@illinois.edu for questions or to request accommodation.

Krannert Art Museum acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.

New Beckman community members and those across campus are invited to join this monthly tour of the Beckman Institute. You'll see our common spaces and our five core research facilities, which include:

• Biomedical Imaging Center
• Illinois Polymer Maker Lab
• Microscopy Suite
• Molecular Imaging Lab
• Visualization Lab

The tour begins in Beckman's east atrium. After the tour, stay for Gather in the Garden, our weekly 10 a.m. Tuesday social hour. We serve free coffee. Register using this form if you plan to attend.

Note that this tour will be offered at 9 a.m. the first Tuesday of each month, except December, January and April. Beckman will not host a tour during those months.

Join us for a workshop in pursuing training grants. Please register by Monday, Sept. 28.

Agenda

12:30-1 p.m.: Registration and snacks
Coffee and snacks will be provided throughout the workshop, but please eat lunch before you arrive. Ted's Café at the Beckman Institute is a convenient option.

1-1:45 p.m.: Training grants overview
This session will cover a training grants overview from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and a discussion on NIH training grants led by Professor Daniel Llano (molecular and integrative physiology).   

1:45-3:30 p.m.: Panel discussion
This panel will include Illinois training grant recipient Professor Jodi Flaws (comparative biosciences) and external training grants awardees from Northwestern University and Washington University, Professor Ken Paller (cognitive neuroscience) and Professor Matt Silva (orthopedic research), respectively. They will talk about their experiences applying and running training grants. We'll have plenty of time for Q&A.

3:30-4 p.m.: Coffee break

 4-5 p.m.: Breakout sessions in 1005
We'll assign attendees to to tables based on the questions they share during the registration phase. Panelist experts will lead these sessions.

Center for Advanced Study Annual Lecture

In Professor Roberts' lifetime, the science of personality development has been transformed from a set of unanswered research questions to a mature scientific field: How important are my genes for my personality? What effect did my parents have on who I am? Does my personality matter for love, work, and health? And “am I stuck with my personality or can I change?"

Join us for the interactive, hands-on science experience that is World of Genomics, featuring multiple stations focused on specific aspects of science!

Visitors will learn about DNA, genetics, agriculture, robotics, microbes—all through family-friendly activities led by researchers from the IGB. Participate in activities, games, and demonstrations developed and facilitated by IGB members to learn about the role of genomics in our everyday lives.