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 18th, 2026 
Session Speakers 
9:00am 
612 IGB Conference Center
1206 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana
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June 17th Agenda

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 18th Agenda

9:00 AM 

Erin Hecht - The Architecture of Canine Socioemotional Behavior: Interactions Between Evolution, Experience, and Neurobiology Dr. Hecht directs the Canine Brains Project. She received a B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego, in 2006 and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Emory University in 2013. Dr. Hecht launched the Canine Brains Project while she was a Research Scientist in the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University and an Affiliated Scientist at the Emory National Primate Research Center. She is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Hecht is the recipient of a Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience and an NSF CAREER Award, both of which fund the Canine Brains Project. She is also an Associate Editor of Brain Structure and Function, a scientific journal that publishes neuroscience research in many species, including dogs. Her research focuses on neuroanatomical specializations in dogs, other canids, humans, and other primates

Dmitry Velmeshev - Cell type-specific dissection and modulation of neural circuit architecture and function Dr.Velmeshev is an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Biomedical Engineering at Duke University.  He received his PhD from the University of Miami and completed his postdoc training at the University of California, San Francisco, in the laboratory of Arnold Kriegstein, where he studied cell type-specific molecular mechanisms of human cortical development and brain disorders.  His awards include the Avenir DP1 award from the NIH, K99/R00 Path to Independence Award, and a Whitehead Scholar award through Duke University. His research uses single-cell genomics, spatial transcriptomic and transsynaptic viral tracing applied to human brain tissue samples, cerebral organoids, and rodent models to understand cell type-specific mechanisms of brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

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, and the following University of Illinois partners:

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

Partial support for this event is provided by the Olga G. Nalbandov Lecture Fund at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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