Attending the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting is the richest annual networking and professional development opportunity for researchers in the field of biophysics. The breadth of research represented by the nearly 6,000 attendees and to the personal interactions that take place are enhanced by the career, education, policy, and social programs scheduled throughout the Meeting.
Networking Event 
Professional Development
The six students with the best overall presentations will be awarded $100 and will be recognized during the 2024 Biophysical Society Lecture and Awards Ceremony. These students will be selected based on the quality and scientific merit of their research, knowledge of the research problem, contribution to the project, and overall presentation of the poster.
Sunday, February 11, 11:30 AM–1:00 PM
Connect with other undergraduates at this “breakfast” for a valuable networking and social opportunity. You will also have a chance to meet and talk to Biophysical Society Committee members, and scientists at all career levels to discuss academic goals and questions and learn how to develop a career path in biophysics. Hear from invited speaker(s) who will share their stories and answer questions. Space for this session is limited to the first 100 attendees.
Moderator
Thayaparan Paramanathan, Bridgewater State University, USA
Speakers
Megan Nunez, Wellesley College, USA
Seda Kocaman, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, USA
Jingyi Fei, The University of Chicago, USA
Education & Career Opportunities Fair
Sunday, February 11, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM
This fair will provide opportunities for candidates to meet with representatives from educational institutions as well as industry and government agencies. Students and postdoctoral candidates will be able to meet with representatives from colleges and universities with leading programs in biophysics. Attendees can connect with representatives from industry and agencies who will provide information about employment and funding opportunities at their institutions/companies.
Stop by the fair to learn about the variety of opportunities available and to talk one-on-one with representatives from participating organizations.
Representatives interested in reserving a table at this fair to display information about their institution/company’s biophysics-related opportunities must register online no later than January 12, 2024, and submit the registration fee in advance. All those attending the Annual Meeting are encouraged to attend. Please contact the Society at [email protected] with questions. Register here.
Teaching Science Like We Do Science
Sunday, February 11, 2:00 PM–4:00 PM
This interactive, hands-on workshop focuses on practice-applicable, easy-to-use strategies and tools that educators at any level of biophysical science education can use to assess what their students take away from their teaching, and where changes to their educational methods might be appropriate.
Moderators
Yadilette Rivera-Colón, Bay Path University, USA
Rita Sirrieh, University of Houston, USA
Speakers
Christopher Gaudreau, Bay Path University, USA
Nathan Fried, Rutgers University, USA
Jennifer Skirkanich, Bryn Mawr College, USA
Opportunities for International Collaboration
Sunday, February 11, 2:30 PM–4:00 PM
Science has long been considered a unified endeavor. Why? Because the methods, reasoning and search for answers are universal, regardless of the language spoken or country you live in. To that end, as an international organization, the Biophysical Society strives to explore, expand and protect opportunities for international collaboration, education and research amongst members of the biophysical community. Join the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) as we discuss the various opportunities for researchers to work in a global, collaborative environment. This session will explore everything from international fellowship opportunities to funding mechanisms designed for global partnerships.
Moderators
Kalina Hristova, Johns Hopkins University, USA
Miguel Castanho, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Ana-Nicoleta Bondar, University of Bucharest, Romania
Panelists
Christian Jorgensen, Portsmouth University, United Kingdom
Theresa Good, NSF, USA
Andrea Stith, Northeastern University, USA
PI to PI Mixer
Sunday, February 11, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM
You finally have a job working in biophysics, in industry or academia, with some funding and a lab, but you’ve realized that the career challenges continue. Come relax and network with your contemporaries and senior biophysicists over a beer or glass of wine. This event is a great chance to compare notes with colleagues and discuss one-on-one your unique solutions to issues that arise in the time between getting your job and getting your next promotion, including management of lab staff, getting your work published, and renewing your funding. Refreshments will be provided along with a cash bar.
Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) Network Annual Meeting Mixer
Sunday, February 11, 5:00 PM–7:00 PM
Are you interested in or currently building your career at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI)? Would you like to meet and learn from biophysicists at PUIs around the world? Then join us at the Annual Meeting for the first ever PUI Network Annual Meeting Mixer! Here you’ll have the opportunity to meet with a diverse group of PUI professors to learn, discuss, and share ideas related to your career at a PUI. We hope to see you there!
Student Research Achievement Award (SRAA) Poster Competition
Sunday, February 11, 6:00 PM–9:00 PM
This session features graduate, masters and PhD students who are presenting posters at the Annual Meeting. During the competition, students will give a five-minute oral presentation of their posters to one or more judges. Winners will be recognized on Monday evening prior to the Biophysical Society Lecture. For more information click here.
Graduate Student Breakfast
Monday, February 12, 7:30 AM–8:30 AM
This breakfast presents an opportunity for graduate student Annual Meeting attendees to meet and discuss the issues they face in their current career stage. Limited to the first 100 attendees.
Moderators
Peying Fong, Kansas State University, USA
Christian Jorgensen, Portsmouth University, United Kingdom
Francisco Barrera, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Speakers
Jeffrey Schaub, Abbott Laboratories, USA
Helene Hodak, Cell Press, USA
Meet the Editors - Biophysical Journal, Biophysical Reports, andThe Biophysicist
Monday, February 12, 10:00 AM–11:15 AM
Take this opportunity to meet editors of all three of the Society's prestigious journals! The Editors-in Chief, members of the Editorial Boards, and BPS staff will be available to answer your questions about what areas of research the journals cover, how to give your paper the best chance of being accepted, the submission process, special issues, and anything else related to BPS journals.
New Member Welcome Coffee
Monday, February 12, 10:15 AM–11:15 AM
All new Biophysical Society members are invited to participate in an informal gathering to meet members of the Society’s Council and Committees, find out about the Society’s activities, get acquainted with other new members, and enjoy refreshments. Current members are encouraged to come meet the new members.
Annual Meeting of the Student Chapters
Monday, February 12, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM
Join BPS Student Chapters from all over the world for an interactive workshop. Attendees will meet Student Chapter officers and representatives and learn about each chapter. This session aims to establish chapter interactions, communications, and planning for future Student Chapter Annual Meeting sessions.
Moderator
Yadilette Rivera-Colón, Bay Path University, USA
All About ARPA-H: Exploring Opportunities at the New Agency
Monday, February 12, 1:00 PM–2:30 PM
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) will be entering its second full year of operation. Join the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) as we learn more about the fledgling high-risk, high-reward research agency, how the structure will continue to form, exploring what opportunities exist and how does that fit into the larger research funding sources available to biophysicists.
Moderators
Eric Sundberg, Emory University, USA
Ranajeet Ghose, The City College of New York, USA
Speaker
Ileana Hancu, ARPA-H, USA
Biophysics 101: Membrane Model Systems: Nanodiscs, Giant Vesicles, and Simulations
Monday, February 12, 1:30 PM–3:00 PM
Biophysics 101 is an opportunity to learn about hot topics in Biophysics from experts in the field! This year, three expert speakers will provide an introduction to methods and model systems for studying lipid membranes and protein-membrane interactions.
Moderators
Jefferson Knight, University of Colorado Denver, USA
Tugba Nur Ozturk, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA
Rita Sirrieh, University of Houston, USA
Speakers
Rumiana Dimova, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany
Huan Bao, University of Virginia, USA
Helgi Ingolfsson, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA
AI and Its Implications for Scholarly Publishing
Monday, February 12, 2:15 PM–3:45 PM
ChatGPT wrote this summary: "AI is expected to have a significant impact on scholarly publishing. It will enhance the speed and accuracy of research processes, automate certain tasks like data analysis and manuscript editing, and enable the discovery of novel patterns and insights in large datasets. However, it may also raise concerns about issues such as bias, data privacy, and the role of human judgment in the peer-review process. Overall, AI holds the potential to revolutionize scholarly publishing by accelerating scientific progress and transforming traditional publishing models." This panel, organized by the BPS Publications Committee, will discuss these issues and more, including the potential for the misuse of AI in writing papers and creating figures. (ChatGPT summary was in response to the prompt: "Predict AI's effect on scholarly publishing in a few sentences.")
Hosts
Chia-Lung Hsieh, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
David Stokes, New York University, USA
Panelists
Lesley Anson, Biophysics Colab, United Kingdom
Yu-Shan Lin, Tufts University, USA
Steinn Sigurdsson, arXiv at Cornell University, USA
Self-Advocacy for Career Success
Monday, February 12, 2:30 PM–4:00 PM
Achieve success and minimize obstacles by being an advocate for yourself and others. At this workshop we will discuss identifying productive workplace conditions and career expectations, and recognizing and addressing challenges effectively.
JUST-B Poster Session
Monday, February 12, 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
The JUST-B (Justice for Underrepresented Scholars Training in Biophysics) Poster Session will celebrate the achievements of underrepresented and underserved students, postdocs, and early career researchers in the field of biophysics. The poster session will promote the endeavors of trainees, offer support through networking opportunities, and serve as a recruitment venue for those seeking to diversify their pool of future graduate students, postdocs, faculty, staff scientists, journal editors, or any other career within biophysics. The goal is to address and mitigate inequities in the biophysics community by providing a space for underrepresented trainees to share their scientific accomplishments and take steps toward advancing their careers.
For more information, click here.
Speed Networking
Monday, February 12, 4:30 PM–6:00 PM
Career development and networking is important in science but can be a big time commitment. Here we offer refreshments and the chance to speed network, an exciting way to connect with a large number of biophysicists (including Biophysical Society committee members) in a short amount of time. Mid-career and more experienced scientists could learn how to get more involved in the Society or network for open positions in their labs. Early career scientists could discuss career goals and challenges, get advice on tenure or grant writing, or find out how to gain recognition for their work. Graduate students and postdocs could make contacts to find their next position.
After introductions, each person will have short 3 - 5 minute meetings with consecutive new contacts. During this time, you can exchange information and ask questions. When time is up, you select the next person to talk to. By the end of the event, each participant will have had meaningful interactions with over half a dozen colleagues and the opportunity to meet many more. It's that simple! Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is recommended to ensure a spot. Click here to register.
Training Undergraduates in the Research Laboratory
Tuesday, February 13, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Get guidance on founding, establishing, and maintaining a research laboratory at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions. Panelists are faculty members at PUI's who have been successful in their positions and will share their experiences and answer your questions.
Moderators
Hannah Malcolm, University of North Florida, USA
Liskin Swint-Kruse, University of Kansas Medical Center, USA
Speakers
Sarah Bondos, Texas A&M, USA
Moriah Beck, Wichita State University, USA
Vince Licata, Louisiana State University, USA
Careers Beyond the Bench: Moving to a World Outside the Lab
Tuesday, February 13, 1:00 PM–2:30 PM
Have you started thinking about your next career step? Are you wondering if you can apply your academic skills in industry? Or what skills outside of academia you may bring to the lab? Join us to explore career options in consulting, industry, and academia. Panelists with science backgrounds, now involved in a wide variety of careers, will share their personal experiences and answer questions from the audience.
Moderators
Peying Fong, Kansas State University, USA
Surl-Hee Ahn, University of California Davis, USA
Speakers
Jesus Izaguirre, Differentiated Therapeutics, USA
David Lebard, OpenEye Scientific Software, USA
Claire Townsend, Glaxo Smith Kline, USA
Sandra Gabelli, Merck & Co., USA
Monica Sala-Rabanal, Washington University, USA
Inside NIH: Using Technological Developments for Solving Biological Problems
Tuesday, February 13, 2:00 PM–3:30 PM
The National institutes of Health (NIH), with its 27 Institutes and Centers, can cause researchers moments of pause as they navigate where their research is best applied. While each Institute and Center has its own distinct focus of research, there is a considerable amount of overlap and coordination that does occur – particularly in biophysics research. Join the Public Affairs Committee as we welcome Program Directors from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on General Medical Science and a branch Chief from the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) to talk through the intricacies of roles they play in the grant process, the broad array of opportunities that are available for biophysicists outside of NIAID or NIGMS and the technology development opportunities that are available to researchers throughout the Institutes to enhance and expand research.
Panelists
Christina Liu, NIGMS, NIH, USA
Thomas Cho, NIGMS, NIH, USA
Ashley Barnes, NIGMS, NIH, USA
James Mack, CSR, NIH, USA
Anowarul Amin, NCI, NIH, USA
Eric Johnson Chavarria, NCI, NIH, USA
Mark Damico, NCI, NIH, USA
Inside Perspectives and Opportunities: NSF Grants
Tuesday, February 13, 3:30 PM–5:00 PM
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is one of the largest federal funders of biophysical research each year alongside the National Institutes of Health. Through the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, scientists continue to advance basic and biomedical research. Join us for an insider’s perspective on the various divisions offering grant funding within NSF and learn how to put together a strong grant application. This session is a great opportunity for new and early career investigators.
Panelists
Engin Serpersu, NSF, USA
Jaroslaw (Jarek) Majewski, NSF, USA
Ishita Mukerji, NSF, USA
Wilson Francisco, NSF, USA
Dinner Meet-ups
Sunday, February 11 - Tuesday, February 14, 6:00 PM
Local students will be waiting at the Society Booth to meet up with attendees who want to experience the local flavor of Philadelphia.
In addition to the general Dinner Meet-Up groups, there will be specific meet-ups for different groups and focus topics:
- Sunday, February 11 – General; Policy & Advocacy
- Monday, February 12 – General; Black in Biophysics; Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI)
- Tuesday, February 13 – General; Networking for Nerds
Additional groups may be added, and dates may be subject to change. Check the app for the latest information.
Attendees are responsible for covering their individual expenses.
One-on-One with a Mentor
The One-on-One with a Mentor program aims to connect Early Career and Student members with mentors at the Annual Meeting. We hope this connection will be helpful to you during your time at the meeting. Each mentor will only be assigned one mentee, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mentor/Mentee Expectations:
1. Mentors and mentees will connect prior to the meeting to introduce themselves. BPS will share the contact details with mentor and mentee pairs.
2. Mentors and mentees should agree on a place and time to meet in-person early in the meeting.
3. Mentees should prepare a few questions for their mentor, to help guide the meeting. In addtion, mentors can share strategies to make the most out of attending the meeting.
4. Some mentors and mentees may decide to stay in contact after the meeting, but this is not an expectation.
5. All mentors and mentees are expected to read and adhere to the BPS Code of Conduct.
We will try our best to match mentor-mentee pairs based on your answers to the questionnaire, your areas of research, Subgroup membership, etc