2026 Auditory System Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

About This Grant

Project Summary Hearing involves an exquisitely complex set of mechanisms that take place in the ear and throughout the brain, leading to perception and behavioral outputs. Progress in treating hearing disorders therefore requires effective cross-disciplinary interactions that are difficult to achieve with conventional conference formats that are either large and wide-ranging or small and narrowly focused. Since 2008, the biennial Auditory System Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and the associated, trainee-focused Auditory System Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) have met this critical need by providing a unique, small conference experience that empowers scientists, clinician scientists, and trainees from across the breadth of the auditory field to share unpublished results, discuss cutting-edge ideas, and form new cross-disciplinary collaborations. A key innovation of the Auditory System GRC series is the GRC conference format in which conferees across all career stages and auditory subfields converge on a small college campus, attend the same talks and poster sessions, and have ample time to discuss new ideas and form new collaborations. The program schedule with no overlapping sessions and the conference setting break down barriers between career stages and subdisciplines. This facilitates conversations that readily extend across days and leads to lasting impacts on research progress and the careers of conferees. The next two installments of the Auditory System GRC and GRS will take place in 2026 and 2028 and will feature keynote talks from 40+ speakers representing the breadth of cutting-edge research from across the auditory field and a range of career stages. The GRC and GRS will also feature daily poster sessions, providing all conferees the opportunity to share their latest results and engage in deep conversations about key auditory research questions. The 2026 GRC will focus on Mechanisms, Perception, and Restoration in the Auditory System, and the trainee-led 2026 GRS will focus on Sound Transformed: The Genetic and Neural Basis of Hearing. Similarly broad and timely themes will be selected for the 2028 Auditory GRC and GRS. Cross-disciplinary exchange of novel results is facilitated by alternating themes throughout the conference, dedicated discussion periods following each talk, and abundant opportunities each day for discussion and debate among conferees. The scientific and professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows is a key emphasis of the conference. The trainee-led GRS features 10 trainee talks selected from abstract submissions, 2 trainee poster sessions, a keynote talk from a trailblazing junior professor, and a mentorship component. Trainees will also be selected to give 8 or more talks during the GRC, and special efforts will be made to ensure trainee interactions with faculty throughout the GRC. To recognize trainee research and promote trainee participation, trainee travel awards and GRS registration waivers will be provided. GRC and GRS outcomes will be assessed with in-depth surveys completed during the final meeting day.