Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

The Brain Evolution and Mental Health Conference aims to bring together scientists and clinicians interested in exploring the brain at a cellular level across the Tree of Life, uncovering evolutionarily conserved and species-specific mechanisms of social behavior, and understanding mechanisms of human mental disorders.

June 17th, 2026
Public Lecture
4:00pm
Alice Campbell Alumni Center
601 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana
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June 17th & 18th, 2026 
Conference Sessions 
9:00am 
612 IGB Conference Center
1206 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana
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June 17th Public Lecture

4:00 PM  Nalbandov Keynote Lecture

John Constantino Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine and the Liz and Frank Blake Chair of Children’s Behavioral and Mental Health and inaugural System Chief of Behavioral and Mental Health (BMH) at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

5:00 PM Question and Answer Session

5:30 PM Reception

June 17th Conference Program

Session I: Brain Single Cell Genomics and Mental Health

8:00 AM                      Doors Open

9:00 - 9:40 AM           Dr. Gene Robinson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
                                    Genomic Pillars of the Social Brain: Lessons from the Honey Bee

9:40 - 9:50 AM            Q & A Session

9:50 - 10:00 AM          Coffee Break

10:00 - 10:40 AM        Dr. Daniel Geschwind, University of California, Los Angeles
                                    Human Cognitive Variation, Genomics and Evolution: Is Autism Really a                                           Disease?

10:40 - 10:50 AM         Q & A Session

10:50 - 11:00 AM         Break

11:00 - 11:40 AM          Dr. Dmitry Velmeshev, Duke University
                                     Cell Type-Specific Dissection and Modulation of Neural Circuit Architecture                                       and Function

11:40 am - 12:00 PM   Q & A Session/Discussion

12:00 - 1:30 PM           Lunch On Own

1:30 - 2:10 PM             Panel Discussion 1

2:10 - 2:20 PM            Coffee Break

2:20 - 3:00 PM            Panel Discussion 2

3:00 – 4:00 PM           Travel for Public Lecture (on own) 
                                    Alice Campbell Alumni Center 
                                    601 S. Lincoln Avenue
                                    Urbana, IL 61801

June 18th Conference Program

Session II: Development of New Computational and Experimental Methods for Single Cell Genomics
8:00 am  Doors open

9:00 - 9:40 AM             Dr. Hongkui Zeng, Allen Institute for Brain Science
                                      Mammalian Brain Cell Type Diversity and Dynamics in Behavior and                                               Disease

9:40 - 9:50 AM             Q & A Session

9:50 - 10:30 AM           Dr. Dave Zhao, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
                                    New Analytical Frameworks for Single-Cell and Spatial Neurobiology

10:30 - 10:40 AM         Q & A Session

10:40 - 11:00 AM         Coffee Break

11:00 - 11:40 AM         Dr. Yichun He, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
                                    Predicting Brain Organization and Perturbation Effects with Foundational,                                       Causal and Agentic Models

11:40 am - 12:00 pm   Q & A Session and Discussion

12:00 - 1:30 PM           Lunch On Own

Session III: Brain Social Behavior Circuits

1:30 - 2:10 PM             Dr. David Anderson, California Institute of Technology
                                    Encoding of hypothalamic affective internal states by neural opulation                                               dynamics

2:10 - 2:20 PM             Q & A Session

2:20 - 3:00 PM            Dr. Erin Hecht, Harvard University 
                                    The Architecture of Canine Socioemotional Behavior: Interactions                                                     Between Evolution, Experience, and Neurobiology

3:00 - 3:10 PM             Q & A Session

3:10 - 3:50 PM             Dr. Zach Johnson, Emory University    
                                    Bridging Genes, Molecules, Cells, and Circuits to Understand the Social                                             Brain

3:50 - 4:10 PM             Q & A Session and Discussion

4:10 - 5:40 PM             Poster Session and Reception 
 

Organizers

The conference is organized by the IGB's Gene Networks in Neural and Developmental Plasticity research theme, in collaboration with the Kellner Center for Neurogenomics, Behavior, and Society.

Support for this event is provided by 

Olga G. Nalbandov Lecture Fund at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

School of Social Work

School of Molecular & Cellular Biology

Grainger College of Engineering

Beckman Institute

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Department of Bioengineering

Department of Biomedical Sciences

Department of Animal Sciences

Center for Social and Behavioral Science

School of Integrative Biology

Neuroscience Program

IGB Accommodations

For all IGB events, gender-neutral bathrooms are available on floors 1 and 2 of the IGB gatehouse, open from 8 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 5 pm. A private lactation room for IGB-affiliated members is available by request; see the IGB reception desk for access. Baby changing stations are available in the restrooms on the concourse level. For specific needs, please contact facilities@igb.illinois.edu