UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Penn State Neuroscience Institute will present their Fall 2026 Seminar Series, created to foster engagement, networking and collaboration of ideas in the neuroscience community, beginning on Sept. 3 with presentations by the Neuroscience Intercollege Graduate Degree Program. The fall 2026 seminar series brings together an international slate of leading experts in neuroscience, biodevices and brain research.
All fall 2026 seminars will take place from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursdays in 008 Muller Laboratory. The series is free to attend and open to all members of the Penn State community, with any students interested in neuroscience encouraged to attend. Complimentary coffee and snacks will be available for attendees from 10:30 a.m. preceding each speaker. The hourlong talks give students, faculty and community members the opportunity to hear about pioneering research being conducted across the country. Penn State community members who wish to meet with guest speakers should contact hosting faculty members directly. More information can be found here.
Neuroscience Graduate Students and PSNI Awards - Sept. 3, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- The event will be hosted by Sonia Cavigelli, chair of the neuroscience program and associate professor of biobehavioral health.
Neuroscience Graduate Students - Sept. 10, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- The event will be hosted by Sonia Cavigelli, chair of the neuroscience program and associate professor of biobehavioral health.
Erika Holzbaur - Sept. 17, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Holzbaur, the William Maul Measey Professor of Physiology at University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, will be hosted by Michael Hanna, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.
Jamy Peng - Sept. 24, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Peng, from the department of developmental neurobiology at St. Jude Children's Hospital, will be hosted by Santhosh Girirajan, T. Ming Chu professor of genomics.
Neeraj Gandhi - Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Gandhi, associate professor of otolaryngology, neuroscience and bioengineering at University of Pittsburgh, will be hosted by Tarkesh Singh, associate professor of kinesiology.
William Nobis - Oct. 8, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Nobis, assistant professor of epilepsy at Vanderbilt University, will be hosted by Nikki Crowley, Huck Chair in Neural Engineering, associate professor of biology, and Penn State Neuroscience Institute Director at University Park.
Martin Ralph - Oct. 15, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Ralph, professor in the department of psychology at the University of Toronto, will be hosted by Paul Bartell, associate professor of avian biology.
Greogry Knipp - Oct. 29, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Knipp, associate professor and director of the Purdue Translational Pharmacology CTSI Core at Purdue University, will be hosted by Carly Schissel, assistant professor of chemistry.
Subhojit Roy - Nov. 12, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Roy, professor of pathology at University of California, San Diego, will be hosted by Ruobo Zhou, assistant professor of chemistry and of biochemistry and molecular biology.
Christopher Chen - Dec. 10, 11 a.m.-noon, 008 Muller Laboratory, University Park
- Chen, assistant professor of neural and behavioral sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, will be hosted by Nikki Crowley, Huck Chair in Neural Engineering, associate professor of biology, and Penn State Neuroscience Institute Director at University Park.
The seminar series is supported by units throughout the University, including the Eberly College of Science (as well as the biology department and biochemistry and molecular biology department), the College of Health and Human Development; the engineering science and mechanics department; the psychology department; the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; and the Penn State Neuroscience Institute. Penn State faculty members interested in hosting a visiting speaker for the spring 2027 series can contact Yingwei Mao, professor of biology.
About the Penn State Neuroscience Institute
The Penn State Neuroscience Institute, housed within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and with interacting components at the College of Medicine, brings together over 125 faculty, as well as more than 75 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff, to foster cutting-edge research and collaboration across disciplines to advance the understanding of brain function and behavior. With a mission to support discovery, education and translation, the institute connects scientists across Penn State campuses and clinical partners, cultivating innovation that impacts both science and society. Penn State community members can join the Penn State Neuroscience Institute here, and questions about the institute can be directed to Nikki Crowley, Huck Chair in Neural Engineering, associate professor of biology, and Penn State Neuroscience Institute director at University Park.