NCOG: Brain Awareness Open House
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Student Union Building (HUB). Campus room: HUB211 (South Ballroom). Accessibility Contact: Please contact ncog.uw@gmail.com for accessibility needs. Event Types: Student Activities. Exhibits.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit ncoguw.com. NBIO Seminar: Dr. Kathleen Cullen
Dr. Kathleen Cullen will speak on "Predictive Neural Computations for Self-Motion."
She is a professor of Neuroscience, Otolaryngology, and Biomedical Engineering at John Hopkins University.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: William H. Foege Genome Sciences (GNOM). Online Meeting Link: https://nbio.uw.edu/zoom-seminars. Campus room: S060 Foege Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Please contact nbio@uw.edu with accessibility questions. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
For more info visit nbio.uw.edu. NAPE Seminar: Dr. Benjamin Land (Pharmacology)
Dr. Benjamin Land will speak on "Exploring the role of opioid receptors in the analgesic and antidepressant effects of ketamine."
Talk description:
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic drug that has shown tremendous potential for depression. Ketamine’s effects are thought to be dependent on NMDA receptor antagonism, but recent data suggests that ketamine also has significant activity at both the mu and kappa opioid receptors. One of the main projects in my lab is focused on understanding the mechanistic similarities between ketamine and canonical KOR-inactivating
compounds, and whether ketamine’s beneficial effects may be mediated by opioid signaling. .
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: William H. Foege Genome Sciences (GNOM). Campus room: S060 Foege Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Lydia Gordon-Fennell at lgordonf@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
NAPE Seminar: Dr. Nathan Baertsch (Pediatrics)
Dr. Nathan Baertsch will speak on "Separable roles of enkephalinergic neurons and opioid-receptor signaling in respiratory control."
Talk description: Dr. Baertsch’s research dissects the neural circuits that generate breathing, how they are dynamically shaped by interactions with pain and other behavioral states, and how these systems fail in disease or under the
influence of opioids. A major focus of the Baertsch lab is defining how endogenous opioid systems modulate brainstem
respiratory networks, an area with profound clinical relevance given the central role of respiratory suppression in opioid overdose.
By probing these circuits at cellular and systems levels, we aim to resolve the longstanding question of why μ-opioid
receptors are embedded within the core respiratory central pattern generator and what functional role they serve under normal physiological conditions. .
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: William H. Foege Genome Sciences (GNOM). Campus room: S060 Foege Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Lydia Gordon-Fennell at lgordonf@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
NAPE Seminar: Dr. Vijay Mohan K. Namboordiri (UCSF)
Dr. Vijay Mohan K. Namboodiri will speak on "Dopamine and behavior across timescales."
Talk Description: Until recently, the algorithm and neural circuit for associative learning were believed to be fully understood, driven
by reward prediction error signals conveyed by mesolimbic dopamine. My lab recently developed an alternate
theory for learning and dopamine function. In this talk, I will first discuss the implications of this theory for extinction learning and memory. I will then present our findings on the spatiotemporal scales of mesolimbic dopamine release across diverse behaviors. Finally, I will describe evidence that learning alcohol-related associations follows rules distinct from those governing learning about natural, non-drug rewards. .
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: William H. Foege Genome Sciences (GNOM). Campus room: S060 Foege Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Lydia Gordon-Fennell at lgordonf@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, April 24, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
NAPE Seminar: Dr. Stephen Zhang (NYU)
Dr. Stephen Zhang, Assistant Professor of Neural Science at NYU's Center for Neural Science, will speak on "Biochemical Computation in Behavioral Regulation."
Talk Description:
G protein-coupled receptors translate a broad array of neuromodulatory and peptidergic inputs into intracellular signals. We study how the brain uses such signal transduction pathways to regulate behaviors. I will present our in vivo fluorescence-lifetime imaging, fiber photometry, and optogenetic experiments in hypothalamic feeding and circadian-rhythm circuits.
In the feeding system, I will discuss our ongoing study regarding how neuropeptide-induced cAMP signaling may be used to anticipatorily regulate satiation and energy intake. In the circadian-rhythm system, I will present a new study on how cell-autonomous cAMP signal processing may underlie the synchronization between independent timekeeper neurons. Together, these studies aim to establish new conceptual models and experimental methods to understand principles…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: William H. Foege Genome Sciences (GNOM). Campus room: S060 Foege Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Lydia Gordon-Fennell at lgordonf@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, May 1, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Neuro 510: Be Boundless (SPR2026)
Join us for Be Boundless, our final Neuro 510 seminar of Spring Quarter, to hear two post-docs present on their research!
Dr. Selina Baeza-Loya (Postdoctoral Scholar in the Lab of Dr. Dave Raible, UW Department of Otolaryngology), studies the neurobiology of sensory transduction and encoding.
Chary Marquez Batista (Postdoctoral Researcher at UW, Labs of Dr. Steve Perlmutter and Sarah Mondello) is a
Weill Neurohub Fellow exploring new therapies to promote neuroregeneration and sensorimotor recovery after spinal cord injury.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Magnuson Health Sciences Center T (HST). Campus room: T-360. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Jennifer Simpson at neurogrd@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, June 1, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM.
SOM: Research to Careers (Alumni Insights Day)
Join us for Research to Careers: Alumni Insights Day, a career exploration event for graduate students and postdocs focused on the wide range of career opportunities available with a PhD featuring UW School of Medicine alumni from our biomedical research departments. Through interactive panels, you’ll hear firsthand about careers in academia, industry science, biotech roles beyond the bench, and scientific leadership. The program also includes a keynote address from Nobel Laureate Dr. Mary Brunkow, dedicated networking time with other students and alumni, and a practical workshop focused on building transferable skills.
Registration will open in mid-April. If you have any questions about this event, please reach out to somevent@uw.edu.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Please contact somevent@uw.edu if assistance is needed. Event Types: Conferences.
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
UW Medicine SLU Campus.
For more info visit research-grad-ed.uwmedicine.org. NAPE Seminar: Dr. Garret Stuber (Pharmacology)
Details of Dr. Garret Stuber's talk forthcoming.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: William H. Foege Genome Sciences (GNOM). Campus room: S060 Foege Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Lydia Gordon-Fennell at lgordonf@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, June 12, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Neuro First Years Rotation Talks (SPR26)
The 2025 Neuro Cohort will present ten-minute talks about their research in their Spring lab rotations. Members of the Neuroscience community are welcome to attend and ask questions.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Magnuson Health Sciences Center G (HSG). Campus room: G-328. Accessibility Contact: Please contact Jennifer Simpson at neurogrd@uw.edu if accommodations are required. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars.
Friday, June 12, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
SOM: PhD Hooding Ceremony
The UW School of Medicine PhD Hooding Ceremony acknowledges the achievements of students receiving doctoral degrees from the University of Washington School of Medicine. This event is held to honor the students graduating from biomedical research programs within the UW School of Medicine. All information and coordination for the event is handled by the Office of Research and Graduate Education.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Student Union Building (HUB). Campus room: Lyceum Room. Accessibility Contact: Please contact somevent@uw.edu if assistance is needed. Event Types: Ceremonies.
Monday, June 15, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit research-grad-ed.uwmedicine.org.