IBACS and PSYC BNS Co-Sponsored Talk: Dr. Dylan Gee from Yale University on 3/26
Talk Co-hosted by IBACS & PSYC BNS: Dr. Dylan Gee
Professor in the Department of Psychology at Yale University
Date/Time: Thursday, 3/26/26 fat 4pm EST
Location: Bousfield 160
Talk Title: The Developing Brain in Context: Translating Neuroscientific Insights to Promote Youth Mental Health
Abstract: Environmental contexts can have a profound influence on brain and behavioral development. From trauma exposure to variation in the predictability of caregiving behaviors, the environments in which children and adolescents develop actively shape their neurodevelopment and mental health. Advances in developmental neuroscience have demonstrated how experiences of safety, predictability, and adversity influence the maturation of corticolimbic circuits in ways that confer risk or resilience for mental health disorders. This talk will illustrate how these insights from developmental neuroscience can inform efforts to optimize clinical interventions for anxiety and stress-related disorders in youth. Together, this work advances understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that promote favorable mental health outcomes and guides approaches to foster recovery among youth exposed to adversity or living with mental health conditions.
Meetings: If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Gee or attending dinner, please email crystal.mills@uconn.edu.
LangFest 2026: Submissions and Registration Are Now Open
We are pleased to announce that the registration and submission form for attending and/or presenting research at Language Fest 2026 is now open!
Language Fest is a university-wide research conference that was established in 2009 to bring together the full community of language researchers at UConn for a day of sharing results, ideas, methodologies, and fostering future interdisciplinary collaborations. With the generous support of the Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, the 2026 installment of Language Fest will take place on Wednesday, April 15th from 3:30pm to 7:00pm.
This year’s festival will include a spoken program (in Konover Auditorium) followed by poster sessions and a reception (in Bousfield Psychology Atrium). We welcome talk submissions for the Graduate Student Symposium and poster submissions (which come with an option to be part of a data blitz). The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 at 11:59pm.
For those attending but not presenting, we still ask that you complete the registration form above so we have an accurate headcount for catering.
Submissions for the Poster Sessions. Poster presentations by students of all stages, research staff, and faculty are welcome! If your research explores any questions related to language, your poster would be a great fit. You are more than welcome to present work that you have recently submitted or presented at a different conference. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your work with our multidisciplinary community and to receive enthusiasm and feedback for your work! Poster presenters will have the option to give an oral preview of their poster as part of the Data Blitz in the spoken program. Limited funds are available to help those in need of financial assistance to cover the cost of poster printing. For inquiries, please reach out to us at langfest@uconn.edu. Finally, we recognize that this year’s festival will take place on the same day as the 2026 Frontiers exhibition. Please know that we have been in touch with the Frontiers organizers and both of us are happy to accommodate those interested in presenting at both events. If you intend to present at both LangFest and Frontiers, please leave us a comment at the end of the submission form, and we will schedule your presentation accordingly.
For any questions about Language Fest, please email: langfest@uconn.edu and visit our website https://languagefest.uconn.edu/.
We look forward to your attendance and participation!
Postdoc Opening at University of Western Ontario’s Centre for Brain and Mind
Dr. Marc Joanisse at the University of Western Ontario is currently recruiting new postdoctoral fellows funded by the Western Postdoctoral Fellowship program. They’re seeking talented recent PhDs interested in working in the area of language and reading processing, where their work focuses on the intersection of cognition, neuroimaging and computation. Work could target any aspect of development, processing and disorders. This might be of particular interest to someone who has developed expertise in one of these areas and wants to expand their toolkit.
Fellowships will provide a minimum stipend of $70,000/year (pending any association agreement changes), plus recoverable benefits and a $5,000/year research allowance for two years. A successful candidate can start the position sometime between July 2026 – June 2027 (without exception). However, there is a relatively short internal deadline (March 20), but the PI is willing to work with the right candidate to build a successful application.
Details about the lab are here: https://lrcn.uwo.ca/
Details about the Centre for Brain and Mind including available facilities and other PIs: https://www.uwo.ca/bmi/
Western PDF Program details are here: https://www.ssc.uwo.ca/research/postdoctoral_scholars/western_postdoctoral_fellowships_program.html
Seeking Nominations for the 2026 NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP)
Dear DTR Grantees,
The NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP) is open and seeking nominations of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows engaged in neuroscience research.
Call for proposals: COGS student-faculty research collaboration
The Cognitive Science Program is pleased to announce another call for proposals to promote collaboration between Cognitive Science undergraduate students and faculty on student-led projects. These grants are intended to support new ideas, pilot studies, and exploratory projects that bring together our community of scholars across disciplines. Priority will be given to projects that provide clear opportunities for student mentorship and training.
Funding details:
- Awards of up to $2,000 each.
- Funds may be used for research expenses such as participant recruitment, software, materials, travel for data collection, or other justifiable research-related costs.
- Funds must be spent within 12 months of the award date.
Eligibility:
- Applications must involve at least one UConn COGS student (graduate or undergraduate) and one UConn faculty member.
- Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the project will foster collaboration and contribute to the mission of the Cognitive Science Program.
- Proposals emphasizing student training will be prioritized.
Application details:
- Project title and team members.
- Research proposal (no more than 2 pages, single-spaced), and include:
- A project description. Define research goals, hypotheses, and methods precisely.
- A brief description of the individual participant roles in the project design and execution.
- Plan for collaboration between student(s) and faculty.
- Anticipated outcomes (e.g., pilot data, conference presentation, publication, future grant submission, presentation at IBACS end of year event) including undergraduate-specific departmental poster nights.
- Project timeline (not included in page maximum).
- Budget and justification (not included in page maximum).
- References (not included in page maximum).
- CVs for all applicants
Conditions:
- If awarded, necessary safety and protocol materials (e.g. IRB, IBC, SCRO, Safety Training, etc.) must be provided before funds can be disbursed.
- The Cognitive Science student(s) should be active students for the duration of the project (e.g. if the timeline extends into the Fall 2026 semester, the student should still be active in the Fall).
Deadline:
March 15, 2026
Funding decisions will be made by March 30, 2026
Visit the award webpage to apply!
If you have any questions about this award, please email cogsci@uconn.edu.
Next COGS Graduate Certificate Deadline: 3/1
“Meet the Directors” Drop-in Event
Join us on Friday, 2/6 from 9-10am in Arjona 339.
The Cognitive Science Program is hosting a casual “Meet the Directors” drop-in event. Feel free to stop by and meet Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas, the Director of the COGS Program, Dr. Adrian Garcia-Sierra, our COGS Director of Undergraduate Studies, and Crystal Mills, the program coordinator for COGS. Whether you have questions to ask or you just want to introduce yourself, please come by!
You can’t make it, but you have questions? Email us at cogsci@uconn.edu.
IBACS Sponsored Talk: Dr. Matthew Sacchet on 2/2
Talk Sponsored by The Institute for the Brain & Cognitive Sciences (IBACS): Dr. Matthew Sacchet from Harvard Medical School and Mass General
Date/Time: February 2, 2026, at 12:20pm (during TalkShop)
Location: SHH 101
Bio: Dr. Matthew D. Sacchet, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Meditation Research Program at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General). Dr. Sacchet and his team study advanced meditation: states, stages, and endpoints of meditative development and mastery. He has authored more than 150 publications that have been cited more than 10,000 times, and his work has been presented more than 170 times at international, national, regional and local venues including at Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale Universities, and the United Nations. His research has appeared in leading scientific journals in the mind and brain sciences and psychiatry, including American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Cerebral Cortex, JAMA Psychiatry, Journal of Neuroscience, Molecular Psychiatry, Nature Mental Health, Neuropsychopharmacology, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and World Psychiatry. He has received generous support from numerous foundations and repeat awards from federal funding bodies in the United States, including the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. His work has appeared in many major media outlets where it has been viewed many millions of times, including in 10% Happier, CBC, CBS, Forbes, Men’s/Women’s Health, NBC, New Scientist, NPR, Scientific American, TIME, Vox, and Wall Street Journal, and Forbes named him one of its “30 Under 30.” Dr. Sacchet is an Associate Editor of the leading meditation academic journal Mindfulness, and a Research Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute. He has been nominated for mentorship awards five times in the last five years.
Talk Abstract: Mindfulness has gained considerable momentum globally as an intervention for improving health and wellbeing. Beyond mindfulness, advanced meditation includes states, stages, and endpoints that result from mastery of meditation. Matthew D. Sacchet Ph.D. (Harvard/Mass General) will provide an overview of current directions in advanced meditation research that characterize the third wave of meditation research. The study and practice of advanced meditation promise incredible new opportunities for elevating human potential in diverse clinical and non-clinical contexts. See the Meditation Research Program’s website for more information: https://meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/
Cognitive Science Travel Award Program
COGS Colloquium: Dr. Cat Hobaiter on 11/14
Talk Co-hosted by COGS & ECOM: Dr. Cat Hobaiter from the University of St Andrews
Date/Time: Friday, 11/14/25 from 4:00pm – 5:30pm EST
Location: McHugh Hall 205
Bio: Cat is a field primatologist who has spent the past 20 years studying wild primates across Africa. She is a Professor in Origins of Mind at the University of St Andrews where she leads the Wild Minds Lab. The main focus of her research is the communication and cognition of wild apes. Through long-term field studies she explores what the behaviour of modern apes living in their natural environment tells us about their minds, as well as about the evolutionary origins of our own behaviour. She is the director of three long-term chimpanzee field-sites in Uganda and Guinea.
Talk Title: Storytelling apes: ape gesture and the evolution of human language
Abstract: Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. Three years ago, I was on a remote expedition with a small group of people with whom I had essentially no language in common. Over the weeks we found built huts, mapped the area, cooked, ate, and laughed together. We started to swap a few phrases, but most of our daily life was managed without language. A long list of human behaviours has been proposed as the reason we have language. But decades of research with other apes have shown us that 1) they have rich systems of flexible, intentional, meaningful, communication, and also that 2) apes and other species do not need language to learn from each other, to organize where and when to forage, to learn cultural knowledge about tools and songs, to co-ordinate hunting, or navigate social politics. It starts to look like human language didn’t evolve for anything useful. But could we simply have been looking in the wrong place? Ten years ago, anthropologist Polly Wiessner made the provocative suggestion that fire was the fundamental driver of human social behaviour. While the day-to-day conversations of the forager peoples she worked with were about mundane practicalities and gossip, fireside conversations are different: they are used for telling stories. I will review what we have learned about other apes’ rich systems of communication so far, and ask—at the end of the day—are we the storytelling ape?
Meetings: Dr. Hobaiter will be available for meetings at UConn from 11/12 – 11/14. If you are interested in meeting with her on any of these days or attending dinner in the evening on Friday, please email crystal.mills@uconn.edu.
Attached is the talk flyer for posting. Please email Crystal if you have questions.