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Genetics and Genomics Academy

GGA Annual Retreat

The GGA Annual Retreat is the academy's flagship event, held every year during the Fall Semester. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with the GGA community after summer, catch up on amazing research from our labs, win prizes, and look forward to the coming year.

Science Talks

Hear from faculty and postdoctoral researchers in 15-minute presentations.

G&G Research Showcase

Connect with GGA Research Interest Groups, view student and postdoc research posters, and hear from our keynote speaker!

GGA Annual Awards

Announce winners of annual poster contest, paper-of-the-year, flash talks, and more!

The 2026 Fifth Annual GGA Retreat

The fifth annual GGA retreat will be held on Friday September 4, 2026 at the Talley Student Union State Ballroom. The Annual Retreat welcomes new graduate students and new faculty, highlights the research of GGA laboratories, Research Interest Groups and upcoming activities.

Date: September 4, 2026

The Fred Gould Genetics and Genomics Annual Keynote Seminar Speaker: Dr. Joseph Ecker, Salk Institute for Biological Studies,

Location Address: Talley Student Union, State Ballrooms

Questions? Please contact [email protected]

Would you like to sponsor this event? Please contact [email protected].

RSVP for the Retreat!

Register to attend and reserve your lunch.

Register

Schedule of Events

8:30 AM – Coffee and light breakfast. Poster and vendor set up

9:00 AM – Opening remarks and updates from the GGA Executive Committee

9:45 AM – Coffee Break, Posters & Vendors

10:15 – 11:00 AM – Science Talks, Session 1

  • Nathan Ennist, Department of Physics and Astronomy
    • “De novo protein design for enhanced photosynthesis”
  • Nadya Mamoozadah, Department of Applied Ecology
    • “Navigating Risk in Warming Waters: Genomic Insights for Managing Cold-Adapted Species”
  • Paper of the Year Winner – Tao Zhong, Postdoctoral Scholar in Balint-Kurti Lab
    • “The maize mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase gene ZmMAPKKK45 is associated with multiple disease resistance”

11:00 AM – Coffee Break, Posters & Vendors

11:30 AM – Keynote Speaker: Dr. Joseph Ecker, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences

12:30 PM – Lunch (Provided by VWR) & Vendors

1:00 PM Poster Session (& Lunch continued)

2:00 PM – Poster Voting Closes

2:00 – 2:45 PM – Science Talks, Session 2

  • George Tiley, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
    • “The evolution of grassy ecosystems and the importance of polyploidy as a pathway to climate change resilience”
  • Aura Mishra, Department of Psychology
    • “Contexts, Mechanisms, and Consequences of Adversity Exposure”
  • Jessie Maier, Postdoctoral Researcher in Callahan Lab
    • “Investigating the bacterial DNA carried by virus-like particles in the mouse gut microbiome”

2:45 PM – GGA Contest winners (announce poster contest winner at the end)

3:15 PM – Closing remarks

Past Retreats

Platinum Sponsor:

Gold Sponsors:

Logos of industry sponsors for the 2026 GGA Retreat.

Joseph Ecker, PhD

The Fred Gould Genetics and Genomics Annual Keynote Seminar

Joseph Ecker, a professor and investigator at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, is a pioneering geneticist whose research spans from foundational plant biology to cutting-edge mammalian epigenomics.

Research