The central theme is the deeper integration of viral structure-function relationships across physical scales. The course will examine how viral architecture, mechanics and dynamics determine functional outcomes throughout infection, including receptor engagement, entry, membrane fusion, genome organization, assembly and intracellular remodelling. Particular emphasis will be placed on membranes, phase separation and emergent behaviour, highlighting how collective interactions between viral and host components generate dynamic condensates and drive membrane remodelling.

A distinctive feature of the 2027 course is the integration of computational modelling, artificial intelligence and machine learning with experimental virology. Theory, simulations and data-driven approaches will be discussed as tools for interpreting complex viral dynamics, predicting infection outcomes and guiding experimental design. The programme will feature next-generation optical, atomic-force microscopy, single-particle, single-molecule, cell-free and quantitative methods for resolving viral processes in space and time across scales.

The course will also explore synthetic and engineering approaches inspired by viruses, including protein design, bottom-up reconstitution, engineered viral systems, and virus-inspired nanostructures, delivery systems and biomolecular devices.

Lectures will be complemented by selected participant talks, poster sessions, meet-the-speaker discussions and a forward-looking round table. The residential format is designed to encourage intensive scientific exchange, interdisciplinary networking and interaction across career stages. By connecting molecular form, physical mechanisms and biological function, the course aims to train a new generation of researchers capable of addressing fundamental questions in infection biology and translating physical principles into antiviral, biomedical and biotechnological applications.

We invite you to read a , held in 2025.

This Joint ¹û¶³´«Ã½/EMBO Lecture Course brings together leading researchers and early-career scientists to explore mitochondrial biology from molecular structure to organismal physiology. The program spans mitochondrial biogenesis, metabolism, gene expression, dynamics and quality control, inter-organellar communication, physiology, and disease. A special focus will be the emerging structural biology of mitochondrial biogenesis, highlighting how cutting-edge imaging approaches are reshaping our understanding of respiratory chain assembly, cristae architecture, membrane remodeling, mitochondrial gene expression, and mtDNA dynamics.

True to the tradition of the course, these topics will be explored across diverse model systems, including mammals, yeast, Drosophila, plants, myxozoas, and trypanosomes, bringing together structural, molecular, cellular, physiological, and evolutionary perspectives.

Interaction is at the heart of the course. Early-career researchers will have numerous opportunities to present their work, discuss ideas with experts, and build new connections. Posters will be displayed throughout the meeting, with dedicated evening poster sessions and 1-minute flash presentations providing additional visibility.

Through Meet the PI sessions, students and postdocs can engage in focused one-to-one conversations with PIs at different career stages about science, career development, funding, and future opportunities. Participant-driven round-table discussions will provide further opportunities for open exchange on topics selected by students and postdocs themselves.

Combining cutting-edge science, active participation, mentoring, and networking, the course provides an immersive and collaborative environment for the next generation of mitochondrial researchers.

The website for this course is under construction. 

These themes will be the focus of the . Taking place from 22–27 August 2027 in Venice, Italy, the course continues the tradition of evo-devo summer schools in Venice that has run since 2009. We will address the following four questions:

1. How does biological organization (spatial-temporal patterns, shape, extracellular and mechanical context) impact the development of complex form and function?
2. How do we measure, model, and manipulate the organization of biological systems?
3. What are the relative contributions of genetic programs versus physical properties and interactions in the emergence of complex forms?
4. How should the above influence our understanding of the evolution of novel morphologies?

Lectures span diverse approaches (tissue mechanics, gene regulation, cell–cell interaction, evolutionary genetics), model systems, and methods (mathematical, machine learning, physics-based modelling), together with conceptual and historical perspectives.

The format is question-driven, exploratory and participatory. The programme includes participant elevator pitches, small-group journal clubs, and thematic discussion groups chosen by participants. The course is designed primarily for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, both experimental and theoretical, who are interested in conceptual problems in development and evolution. ¹û¶³´«Ã½ grants will be available by application to support registration costs.

The program opens by framing the scale of the crisis, translating surveillance data into strategic health priorities, quantifying the global burden of bacterial resistance with modern AMR monitoring tools. Building on this foundation, a substantial portion of the course addresses the biological underpinnings of resistance and persistence, covering biomaterial-associated infections, biofilm formation on microplastics, bacterial stress response systems, and signaling pathways governing survival in opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Novel molecular targets are also explored, including bacterial G-quadruplexes as emerging drug targets and bioisostere-based approaches to antimicrobial design.

The course further highlights next-generation therapeutic strategies designed to circumvent traditional resistance mechanisms: light-activated porphyrin-based photosensitizers, smart nanosystems for targeted antimicrobial delivery, adjuvant therapy platforms for high-throughput screening, immunotherapies against bacterial infections. and the implementation of magisterial phage therapy as a clinical alternative to conventional antibiotics.

Complementing on these innovations, sessions on host–pathogen interactions, from advanced infection modeling platforms to pathogen–immune dynamics in pediatric populations, provide mechanistic insights essential for informed drug discovery.  Together, these topics illustrate the shift from reactive antibiotic use toward proactive, mechanism-informed, and technologically advanced approaches to combating AMR.

Participants will gain an integrated understanding of how surveillance data, molecular biology, and translational innovation converge to shape future strategies for infection control and antimicrobial stewardship, equipping them to engage critically with one of medicine’s most urgent contemporary challenges.

This workshop will encompass transcription as a key biological mechanism shaped by evolutionary selection. It is designed to break down disciplinary and phylogenetic barriers by bringing together researchers studying transcription and genome regulation across the tree of life. By presenting transcriptional mechanisms from bacteriophages, bacteria, archaea, and diverse model and non-model eukaryotic systems and approaches side-by-side, the workshop aims to provide a unique opportunity to discuss unifying principles and evolutionary innovations, and to facilitate new ways of thinking about how transcriptional mechanisms have been shaped and reshaped through evolution. Key themes include the evolution of transcriptional machinery, regulation of transcription initiation, elongation, and termination, transcription in chromatin context, dynamic control of gene expression, stress responses, genome instability, and transcription in pathogenesis and disease. The workshop will incorporate recent advances in imaging, single-molecule and single-cell approaches, structural biology, genomics, and computational and machine-learning methods.

The meeting will also include an optional tutorial session to introduce participants to computational and comparative approaches for studying genome evolution, transcriptional regulation, and the evolutionary conservation and diversification of gene regulatory mechanisms, thereby complementing the scientific themes of the workshop and strengthening its training component.

A central objective is to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, engage early career scientist, and promote discussion. The programme is carefully balanced with invited speakers, selected presentations from abstracts, flash-talks, poster sessions and networking opportunities to facilitate interactions among researchers at all career levels.

We invite you to read a .

Time-resolved spectroscopy has transformed our understanding of protein function by probing excited states and tracking the kinetic evolution of intermediates generated upon activation. Time-resolved X-ray methods, like crystallography and solution scattering can provide atomic-resolution snapshots of structural changes and information on the conformational dynamics, respectively. Because no single experimental technique can fully capture the complexity of biomolecular dynamics, theoretical approaches such as molecular dynamics simulations and quantum-mechanical calculations are essential for interpreting and integrating the experimental findings.

The aims to bring together researchers working in the fields of time-resolved spectroscopy and time-resolved X-ray diffraction and scattering techniques as well as computational methods to present recent advances, discuss current challenges, and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations. A particular emphasis will be placed on emerging triggering strategies beyond light, including ligand mixing, photocage release, microfluidics, and chemically triggered reactions, expanding time-resolved studies to biological systems that are intrinsically light-sensitive. The workshop will also highlight state-of-the-art instrumentation and methodologies developed at large-scale research facilities.

The following topics will be addressed:

• time-resolved spectroscopy
• time-resolved serial crystallography at synchrotrons and XFELs
• time-resolved X-ray solution scattering
• time-resolved cryo EM
• sensory photoreceptors of optogenetic interest, membrane proteins, photosynthetic systems, UV-damage, heme proteins, flavoproteins
• various triggering strategies including chromophore excitation, photo-uncaging, mixing and diffusion, temperature-jumps, electric field stimulation, etc.
• computational biology (MD simulations, DFT, QM/MM)
• software development for time-resolved spectroscopy and time-resolved serial crystallography

This third edition builds on the successful meetings held in and (see also this ) and broadens its scope by encompassing research on biological systems that are not naturally light-sensitive, while keeps fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across the above-mentioned scientific communities.

Read this  for more information from the co-organizers.

(Image credit to the course organizers, with help from AI.)

The 2027  aims to bridge this gap by bringing together leading and early-career researchers as well as industry innovators in a distinctively designed meeting to exchange ideas, establish collaborations, and explore emerging opportunities across the life science and engineering.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the course continues its tradition of fostering an interactive and collaborative environment for participants. In its latest edition, participants will explore topics such as:

• Biomedical devices and implants
• Bioprinting and tissue engineering
• Nanoparticles applications at the biointerface
• Tools for understanding the biointerface

The course will also highlight a broad range of applications including targeted drug delivery, precision diagnostics, biosensors, and responsive therapeutic systems. Through lectures, poster sessions, panel discussions, and scientific interactions, participants will learn about current challenges, emerging technologies, and future directions in this rapidly evolving field along with the regulatory challenges and ethical considerations in translation efforts.

The meeting will take place at Sant Feliu de Guixols, Girona, Spain, a captivating mediterranean setting that combines a stimulating scientific atmosphere with informal discussions, collaboration, and networking.

By bringing together diverse perspectives, this joint ¹û¶³´«Ã½/EMBO course reflects the shared missions of ¹û¶³´«Ã½ and EMBO which is promoting excellence in molecular life sciences, catalyzing collaboration, and accelerating the translation of fundamental discoveries into impactful biomedical solutions.

Read this  for more information from the co-organizers.

Abstract submission deadline: 30 November 2026
Application deadline: 28 February 2027

The 4^th edition of the will provide a focused international forum for presenting and discussing the latest developments in the field. The meeting will bring together researchers working across structural biophysics, membrane biology, lipid metabolism, systems biology, and pathophysiology, fostering dialogue between disciplines that have traditionally approached sphingolipid biology from different perspectives.

The scientific programme will explore the molecular and analytical tools transforming sphingolipid research, the role of sphingolipids in membrane asymmetry and trafficking, their contribution to organelle communication and cellular architecture, and their function as metabolic circuits controlling cellular decisions. It will address how disruption of these processes contributes to human diseases while highlighting emerging opportunities for therapeutic intervention. A forward-looking final session will create space to discuss unexpected findings, unresolved questions, methodological limitations, and new directions for the field.

Extended discussion periods, poster sessions, flash presentations, and interactive panels will promote active participation across career stages, giving early-career researchers opportunities to engage with established investigators and contribute to the scientific dialogue. By combining broad scientific coverage with an inclusive and highly interactive format, the meeting aims to support the next generation of Sphingolipid researchers and help shape future directions in the field.

The meeting will take place from 6–11 June 2027 at the MH Atlântico Congress Centre in Peniche, Portugal. Its integrated conference and accommodation setting will provide an ideal environment for scientific exchange and informal interaction throughout the week.

We look forward to welcoming you to Peniche for an inspiring week of science!

Read this  for more information from the co-organizers.

Lipidomics is one of the fastest-growing omics disciplines, with applications spanning bioanalytical chemistry, lipid biochemistry, cell biology, biomedical research, and clinical translation. The rapid expansion of the field is reflected in the increasing number of research projects that rely on mass spectrometry (MS)-based lipidomics as a core technology for enabling fundamental biological discoveries and providing clinically relevant insights into human disease. However, lipidomics remains a technically demanding discipline that requires specialized training to ensure accurate, reproducible, and robust data generation and interpretation.

This course will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of current strategies for lipidome analysis, data processing, and integrative data interpretation. It is designed as an advanced educational and training platform for biochemists, cell biologists, clinicians, analytical chemists, and computational scientists working in lipid research and MS-based lipidomics.

Participants will be guided through all major steps of the modern lipidomics workflow, from experimental design and sample preparation to the selection of appropriate MS acquisition strategies, data processing, statistical analysis, and biological interpretation. The course will highlight recent methodological advances, including structural lipidomics and mass spectrometry imaging, providing both a solid theoretical foundation and hands-on training in state-of-the-art lipidomics technologies.

A central objective of the course is to promote interdisciplinary exchange and networking among early-career researchers, advanced PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and leading international experts in lipidomics. The program combines lectures, focused tutorials, interactive question-and-answer sessions, and hands-on laboratory training to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of advanced lipidomics technologies and their broad applications in modern lipid research.

Read this for more information from the co-organizers.

This course aims to provide an integrated perspective on synaptic vesicle dynamics, bringing together experts at the forefront of closely related and highly relevant topics including membrane trafficking, lipid dynamics, neuronal exocytosis, and the organization of supramolecular structures and molecular condensates. The talks will emphasize molecular mechanisms, structure-function relationships, molecular causes of neurological disease, and state-of-the-art technologies. In an informal setting, poster sessions, oral presentations, and casual meet-the-expert rounds will stimulate interactions between students, postdocs and lecturers, establishing scientific and personal networks.