The Centromere Biology GRS provides a unique forum for young doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to present their work, discuss new methods, cutting edge ideas, and pre-published data, as well as to build collaborative relationships with their peers. Experienced mentors and trainee moderators will facilitate active participation in scientific discussion to allow all attendees to be engaged participants rather than spectators.
The Centromere Biology GRS allows trainees the opportunity to present their work to their colleagues in a more intimate setting, before the main GRC in Centromere Biology, with constructive feedback and discussion. Our mentorship session this year will explore trainee career directions in science, from applying to postdocs and junior PI roles, to industry research and beyond.
The questions in the centromere biology field are evolving as rapidly as the centromeres themselves. Thomas Kuhn once stated, “the answers you get depend on the questions you ask”. How are centromeres and kinetochores structured? Are centromeres compatible? Why such rapidly evolving DNA sequences? We’ve come a long way since Walther Flemming first described these ‘primary constriction sites’ in the late 1800s. With exciting progress being made regarding the sequencing of repetitive regions, the structure of centromeric chromatin, and the dynamics of centromeric proteins; there is a constant impetus to ask the next, key questions.
The 2024 Centromere Biology Gordon Research Seminar will focus on the open questions of current centromere biology, the most pertinent questions going forward, and the model organisms best suited to answer those questions. This meeting will showcase the recent advances in the centromere biology field by new trainees, and provide a space to discuss these current and future directions.
Application Instructions
The seminar will feature approximately 10 talks and 2 poster sessions. All attendees are expected to actively participate in the GRS, either by giving an oral presentation or presenting a poster. Therefore, all applications must include an abstract.
The seminar chair will select speakers from abstracts submitted by April 21, 2024. Those applicants who are not chosen for talks and those who apply after the deadline to be considered for an oral presentation will be expected to present a poster. In order to participate, you must submit an application by the date indicated in the Application Information section above.
Program Format
Gordon Research Seminars are 2-day meetings which take place on the Saturday and Sunday just prior to the start of the associated GRC. The GRS opens with a 1-hour introductory session on Saturday afternoon, followed by a poster session, dinner and a 2-hour session in the evening. Sunday morning begins with breakfast and is followed by another 2-hour session, a second poster session, and lunch. A final 1-hour session takes place just after lunch, and the associated GRC begins later that evening.
