Federation of Amer Societies For Exper Biology

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-06

This award will support graduate student and postdoctoral trainee attendance at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) meeting on Dynamic DNA Structures in Biology, from July 19-24, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The meeting focuses on unique DNA and RNA structures and how they affect biological processes, including mutagenesis and genome evolution. The meeting is co-organized by Drs. Mitch McVey (Tufts University), Nayun Kim (University of Texas-Austin), and Vincent Dion (Cardiff University). The meeting will feature two keynote talks by Natalia Gromak (University of Oxford) and Katrin Paeschke (University of Bonn), 34 invited talks, 16 talks selected from submitted abstracts, and three poster sessions. Trainees will have multiple opportunities to present and discuss their research, including short talks, poster presentations, a ‘meet the experts’ session, and informal conversations at meals and during networking events. A career development panel and targeted group discussions will offer trainees opportunities to explore various STEM career paths. In selecting short talk speakers, the organizers and session chairs will prioritize graduate students, postdocs, and new investigators. This meeting, held bi-annually since 2008, is the premier conference for scientists worldwide investigating alternate DNA structures and their genomic impact. It regularly attracts approximately 100 participants, including many NSF-funded investigators. The conference sessions include topics on DNA structure-induced genome instability, RNA-mediated genome instability, biochemical and single-molecule analyses of DNA structures and interactions, chromosomal fragility and repeat instability, and a new session on nucleic acid structures found in transposons, viruses, and parasites – all of which constitute foundational knowledge that advances biotechnology The conference primarily highlights unpublished research findings and provides an unparalleled experience for young researchers to learn at the frontiers of the field and develop their careers in science. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-04

This award will provide support for the 2026 Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology (FASEB) Science Research Conference on “Genetic Recombination and Genome Rearrangements”, to be held July 12-17, 2026, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference addresses a unique need in the field. It brings together researchers focused on “genetic recombination”: the process by which a broken DNA molecule interacts with another DNA molecule to enable its repair that impact the development of biotechnologies relevant to understanding and treating cancer and other human diseases. The primary goals of the conference are to share cutting-edge insights into recombination and to foster new collaborations, leading to a deeper understanding of the process. More broadly, the conference will educate trainees and help them to network with leaders in the field for career development in biotechnology and STEM careers. The conference will cover a broad range of topics, from structural and biophysical analyses of recombination enzymes to whole-genome analysis of mutagenesis, genome rearrangements and telomere maintenance, with studies performed in a broad array of model systems. These studies are relevant to physiological processes such as meiosis and also to biotechnology development that can impact human disease, notably cancer and aging. The conference will feature unpublished research on cutting-edge questions that drive the field forward. The program includes talks and poster presentations from trainees, early-stage investigators and senior scientists. All attendees are encouraged to participate by presenting a poster or an invited/selected oral presentation and by participating in poster sessions and social events. The conference design encourages formal and informal discussions that will promote new collaborations and welcome newcomers to the research community, including young investigators and trainees. Successful outcomes of the conference will include new collaborations that drive the field forward. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2026 · 2026-04

This award will provide support for the 2026 FASEB Conference: “Chromosome Biology and Cell States in Yeasts”, July 27-29. The meeting occurs every two years and attracts the best scientists in the field from around the world. The meeting includes talks that describe exciting new findings from both invited speakers and mix of trainees, young investigators, and senior scientists. There are accompanying poster sessions where all attendees can present their recent findings. Additionally, all trainees are invited to present a “Flash Talk” to describe their research. A longstanding goal of the meeting is to provide networking, collaboration, and learning opportunities to help build a strong workforce of scientists in this field and biotechnology. The meeting includes a “Meet the Expert” session where young scientists can meet established researchers to discuss their research and career goals, and a Career Development session that supports new investigators. This meeting brings together scientists who use various yeast species to study two broad questions that are central to all life forms: 1. How do are chromosomes faithfully duplicated and partitioned? and 2. How do cells control their growth and division? Topics covered at the meeting include DNA replication and repair, chromosome structure and function, cell growth and division, and genome evolution. The methodologies used range from computational science and advanced imaging to population biology and molecular genetics that have implications for biotechnology developments. In summary, this long-standing meeting continues to grow and change to share emerging scientific information on the critical topics of chromosome biology and cell growth, and to build a strong STEM biotechnology workforce for the future. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-07

The cytoskeleton is essential for cellular life and basic questions of its function must be understood to allow manipulating cellular physiology. The conference will bring together researchers in distinct disciplines to provide interdisciplinary opportunities in cytoskeleton research, an approach known to lead to major break-throughs in science. Moreover, the conference organizers will recruit an audience of early-career scientists to cultivate a sustainable community of future researchers at the cutting-edge of the research field. This proposal seeks support for a FASEB conference entitled "Cytoskeletal Structure, Function and Dynamics" that will discuss the most exciting recent findings on cell's cytoskeletal components. The researchers will discuss new findings about the assembly and regulation of the cytoskeleton, interactions between distinct cytoskeletal elements, and the unexpected roles cytoskeletal components play in cellular and organismal homeostasis and pathology. The meeting will: (1) facilitate the sharing of research discoveries and progress; (2) foster collaboration and encourage interdisciplinary approaches that will contribute to future progress in science; and (3) provide educational activities for students, post-docs and young faculty to train a cadre of future researchers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-06

This proposal seeks partial support for a conference titled “Endoplasmic reticulum”,sponsored by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) to be held in June 2025 in Melbourne, Florida. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) carries out functions such as protein folding and lipid synthesis that are critical to cell life, and the ER has many important ties to human health and disease. This conference is the major meeting for researchers studying different aspects of this organelle; it brings together scientists from many disciplines such as cell biology, biochemistry, neurobiology, structural biology, physiology, and genetics. The conference is largely focused on basic science, and thus has strong potential to inspire new ideas, collaborations, and discoveries. In addition, the conference also aims to promote and inspire trainees and new investigators with many opportunities to present their own research, interact with the broader community, and share advice and perspectives on career opportunities and goals. Enhancing the participation of early career scientists will ensure the continued vitality of this research field in the future. This proposal is designed specifically to support this latter goal, by providing funds for trainees to take part in the conference. An overarching goal of this conference is to integrate research, education, training, and career development by bringing together a community of researchers and trainees who share an interest in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This is the only conference in the USA that focuses on the ER. Topics include ER protein targeting, folding, and maturation, ER- associated degradation and ER-phagy, ER stress sensing and signaling, communication between the ER and other organelles processes, and lipid dynamics and storage. A major goal of the conference is to encourage the active participation of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and newly appointed faculty in all aspects of the ER field. Thus, in addition to the faculty/senior scientist speakers, we will select 11 short talks to be presented by junior trainees (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) and all poster presenters will have the opportunity to introduce their poster with a 2 min, one-slide flash-talk. Two career development sessions have been tailored to meet the needs of early career scientists. Platform talks, poster sessions, "meet the speaker" seating at lunch and the poster flash-talk sessions have all been designed to promote interactions and in-depth discussions between the attendees of the meeting. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Awards · FY 2025 · 2025-06

Septins are a large family of proteins with essential functions for the organization and processes in cells. The conference will gather septin researchers from a breadth of disciplines, who do not regularly have the opportunity to interact in other scientific forums, to discuss recent findings and to forge new collaborations for tackling key unknowns and challenges. The conference will foster cohesiveness and long-term continuity by inviting speakers, who are new in this field of research, trainees and early career investigators. Sessions on real-life links and applications of septin research, along with emerging topics, will inspire and motivate attendees to pursue research having Broader Impacts on society that include animal and plant diseases. The program of the FASEB conference entitled "Septins – spatial regulators of cell biology" will feature sessions on problems of septin assembly and function in the morphogenesis of various cell types, and in cellular processes including cell division, cell migration, and intracellular force transduction. Researchers will present and discuss findings from studies that utilize structural, biophysical, genetic, biochemical and pharmacological methods. In addition to daily poster sessions, roundtable panels will facilitate direct interactions with speakers and mentoring discussions on career development. The schedule will also provide opportunities for group activities that will enable networking in a casual and informal setting. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.