2026 Symposium Schedule

Date: Wednesday, October 28th, 2026
Time: 9:30AM - 5:00PM
Location: Kelley Research Building (Formerly Biomedical Research Building), Ground floor Lobby & Auditorium, 421 Curie Blvd., University of Pennsylvania, 19104 (map) (directions)

Register for free by October 23rd, 2026. Attendees are also invited to submit a poster abstract for review along with their registration. Poster abstracts are due October 14th, 2026. Poster size limits are 60” W x 40” H.

Schedule

9:30AM Light Breakfast, Hang up Posters

10:00AM Welcome & Introduction

10:10AM - 11:45AM Morning P-SPINE Fellow Talks

• Dr. Christine Liu - Psilocybin’s Effects on Cognitive & Behavioral Flexibility

• Dr. Drew Schreiner - From Synapse to Song: Mechanisms of Learning by Imitation

• Dr. Cynthia Tchio - Causal Circulating Proteins of Human Sleep Duration Map onto Sleep-Wake Neurocircuits

11:45AM - 12:45PM Catered Lunch, Poster Session

12:45PM - 1:30PM Panel: Transitioning from Postdoc to Professor & Beyond

• Dr. Lauren Kreeger - Assistant Professor, Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, Perelman School of Medicine

• Dr. Tim Machado - Presidential Assistant Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine

• Dr. Jennifer Kelschenbach - Research Associate Professor, Dept. of Pharmacology & Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine

1:30PM - 1:40PM Break

1:40PM - 2:40PM Midday P-SPINE Fellow Talks

• Dr. Megan Kirchgessner - Emergence and Refinement of Vocalization Encoding in the Mouse Auditory Cortex through Postnatal Development

• Dr. Ilika Ghosh - Synapses Drive Local Mitochondria ATP Synthesis to Fuel Plasticity

2:40PM - 2:50PM Break

2:50PM - 3:50PM Afternoon P-SPINE Fellow Talks

• Weikang Shi - Neural Mechanisms of Strategic Social Decisions

• Sophie Hill - Mechanistic Investigation & Therapeutic Development in Mouse Models of SCN1A-related Neurodevelopmental Disorders

4:00PM - 5:00PM Poster Session & Happy Hour (Bring ID!)