On May 29, 2026, the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind (KIBM) hosted its Annual Symposium on Innovative Research, bringing together more than 70 attendees for a day of scientific exchange and discovery. The symposium featured presentations from this year’s Innovative Research Grant (IRG) recipients, the 2025 cohort of the KIBM Postdoctoral Scholars Program, and KIBM Discovery Fellow Benjamin Gastfriend (UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography).

The event also welcomed keynote speaker Diana Bautista (UC Berkeley), who presented “Neuroimmune Crosstalk During Coronavirus Infection.” Her keynote highlighted research on how the nervous and immune systems communicate during coronavirus infection, offering important insights into the biological mechanisms that shape the body’s response to disease.

This year’s IRG presentations showcased pioneering work across neuroscience, engineering, genetics, pediatrics, and bioengineering from researchers at UC San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Featured IRG speakers included Matthew Lovett-Barron, Samuel Kerk, Shreya Saha, Johnatan Aljadeff, Matthew Shtrahman, Yujuan Su, Justin Trotter, and Jordan Nichols.

Postdoctoral Scholars Program presentations were delivered by Damion Demeter, Oleksandra Sirozh, and Hao Jiang, highlighting emerging research from the next generation of scientists.

A special symposium announcement was made by Nicholas Spitzer and Katharine Stevens, who introduced the recipient of the 3rd Annual Charles F. Stevens Memorial Neuroscience Research Award.

KIBM extends its gratitude to all speakers, attendees, and community members who contributed to the success of this year’s symposium. For additional information about the presentations and speakers, please visit our event page.

We look forward to welcoming the community back for next year’s symposium.