Message from the President, Douglas Zochodne
Dear members and colleagues,
The start of a new academic year is an exciting time for all of us, and am happy to provide an update about CAN recent and upcoming activities.
We are proud to present the first CAN2026 meeting announcements, with the announcement of plenary speakers. Meeting Co-Chairs Rose Bagot and Mark Cembrowski have put together a stellar slate of speakers for this meeting, which will take place in Montreal. I invite you to keep an eye out for the launch of the Call for parallel symposia proposals, coming soon. You can read more in this newsletter.
CAN’s advocacy team has been active over the Summer. You can read our latest call for reinvestment in scientific research in Canada in two recent submissions to pre-budget consultations. We are currently reviewing our advocacy strategy to ensure this important message is heard in Ottawa. We need a strong voice in support for science in these times of competing investment priorities.
I want to invite all who are attending the SfN meeting this Fall in San Diego to connect with CAN at our booth in the exhibit hall. The Society for Neuroscience is an important partner for CAN, and we hope we can connect with many Canadian neuroscientists in San Diego.
Finally, a new academic year also means a new membership year for CAN, so I invite you to renew your membership to support all our activities. We are also seeking new members for our advocacy, nominations, EDI and Meeting program committees, so please consider serving in one of these committees.
Wishing you success in this new academic year,
Douglas Zochodne
President of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Advocacy
Read our submission to pre-budget consultations
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance invited Canadians to participate in its annual pre-budget consultations process. The committee will table a report on these consultations in the House of Commons with recommendations to be considered by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the development of the 2025 federal budget.
Read CAN’s submission (July 2025) to the FINA consultations here:
https://can-acn.org/read-cans-brief-submitted-to-the-2025-fina-pre-budget-consultations
We also submitted similar recommendations to the pre-budget consultations of the Department of Finance a few weeks later (August 2025):
https://can-acn.org/can-submits-a-brief-to-the-department-of-finance-pre-budget-consultations
Next CAN Parliament Hill Day
Our next Parliament Hill Day will take place in early 2026. Stay tuned for updates!
Apply for a CAN trainee outreach/advocacy award today
Do you have a great project or initiative to promote neuroscience research in Canada? We can provide support. Applications are accepted at all times, and reviewed every three months (March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1). Awards will be given based on adherence to award criteria and be contingent on budget availability.
Share your science!
Are you interested in science communication? Would you want to share your research story?
We are looking for contributors for the Canada Brain Power website.
Visit the website:
CAN Meeting updates
19th Canadian Neuroscience Meeting
May 18-21, 2026 | Montréal | Hotel Bonaventure
Join us for the 2026 Canadian Neuroscience meeting in Montreal, May 18-21, 2026. The Canadian Neuroscience meeting is a great opportunity to present your work, learn about new cutting-edge research and network with neuroscience leaders from Canada and abroad.
The chairs of this year’s meeting, Drs. Rosemary Bagot and Mark Cembrowski are putting together an exciting program that covers a wide range of neuroscience topics.
The Call for parallel symposia is coming up soon – don’t miss this opportunity!
Save the dates!
- Dates: May 18-21, 2026
- Location: Hotel Bonaventure Montréal
- Organizers: Rosemary Bagot, Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, Mark Cembrowski, Co-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, with the CAN team
Plenary speakers
Keri Martinowich, Ph.D.
Senior Investigator and Director of Translational Neuroscience at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development and Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Martinowich’s research program focuses on understanding molecular and genetic mechanisms that contribute to risk for neuropsychiatric disorders with the goal of informing development of novel treatments.
Adam Kepecs, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience, Professor of Psychiatry and BJC Investigator, Washington University in St-Louis
The long-term goal of the Kepecs Lab is to reverse engineer the computational and neurobiological processes underlying cognition and decision-making and apply these insights to biological psychiatry.
David J. Anderson, Ph.D.
Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience Leadership Chair; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Director, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience
Genetic dissection of neural circuits controlling emotional behaviors
Catharine Winstanley, Ph.D.
Professor & member of the Centre for Brain Health at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Catharine Winstanley investigates the brain mechanisms involved in impulse control
Brain Prize lecture
Michelle Monje, MD Ph.D.
The Monje Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms of postnatal neurodevelopment.
Milan Gambhir Professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and Professor at Stanford University
Clifford J. Woolf, M.B., B.Ch., Ph.D.
Director of the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and the Neurobiology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Research in the Woolf group is devoted to the study of pain, the regeneration of the injured adult nervous system and neurodegenerative conditions.
https://www.hsci.harvard.edu/people/clifford-j-woolf-mb-bch-phd
Key dates – 2026 meeting
| Begins | Ends | |
|---|---|---|
| Call for parallel symposia | November 11, 2025 | December 8, 2025 |
| Call for satellite meetings | November 11, 2025 | December 8, 2025 |
| Call for poster presentations | December 15, 2025 | January 25, 2026 |
| Call for application – Meeting Professional development awards | December 15, 2025 | February 1, 2026 |
| Call for New Investigator Award nominations | November 14, 2025 | January 25, 2026 |
| Meeting registration (early-bird rate) | January 15, 2026 | March 3, 2026 |
| Meeting registration (regular rate) | March 4, 2026 | April 29, 2026 |
| Meeting registration (late, on-site) | April 30, 2026 | May 21, 2026 |
Opportunities
Join a CAN committee
Get involved !
Get involved in the Canadian Association for Neuroscience by joining one of our committees!
Learn more about our committees
Please apply using the online forms available here:
https://can-acn.org/can-committee-membership-application/
Application deadline is October 15, 2025
Neurojobs
View recent advertisements from our website, with posting date
- Assistant Professor (Biochemistry) University of Guelph 2025/09/11
- Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge 2025/09/11
- Assistant Professor – Artificial Intelligence in Psychological Science – University of Toronto 2025/09/11
- Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Teaching – Department of Zoology and the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver 2025/08/25
- Associate Professor / Professor – Krembil Chair in Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Toronto 2025/08/25
- Postdoctoral Position – Gut Microbiome-Brain Axis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2025/07/15
- Assistant or associate professor-researcher in Neuroscience related to neurological disorders and/or neural regeneration and precision health – Université de Montréal 2025/06/19
- Director of the Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute Hospital) 2025/06/17
View the neurojobs webpage here: https://can-acn.org/neuro-jobs/
CAN members can submit advertisements for free
Upcoming Events
| 2025-10-02 @noon ET | CNS-PDS October: Pedro Henrique Gonçalves Guedes & Richard Gao |
| 2025-10-21 to 2025-10-24 | 3rd Advanced Fiber Photometry Workshop – UCalgary |
| 2025-11-06 @ noon ET | CNS-PDS November: Andrew Vo & Amr Eed |
| 2025-11-15 to 2025-11-19 | Neuroscience 2025 in San Diego |
| 2025-12-04 @ noon ET | CNS-PDS December: Marlaina Stocco & Yalin Sun |
Connect with CAN at SfN
CAN booth at SfN
Come meet the CAN team at Booth #3732 in the Institutes and nonprofits area of the exhibit hall at Neuroscience 2025, taking place November 16 – 19, 2025 at the San Diego Convention Center.
Renew your membership or become a member today!
If you have not already done so, we invite you to renew your annual membership or become a member of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, for the 2025-2026 membership year. Your membership helps support our activities which aim to promote neuroscience research and advocate for increased funding for research in Canada.
CAN continuously strives for the betterment of the Canadian Neuroscience community by:
- Advocating for increased funding for basic research in Canada (https://can-acn.org/advocacy/) and supporting grass-roots advocacy initiatives
- Promoting Canadian neuroscientists and neuroscience research, through awards, our website and social media
- Strengthening the Canadian neuroscience community by providing opportunities to connect and network
- Supporting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Neuroscience in Canada, through the efforts of the CAN-EDI committee, and by supporting grass-roots actions proposed by neuroscientists (https://can-acn.org/equity-diversity-and-inclusivity-in-neuroscience/)
- Developing partnerships to help us achieve our goals – Examples include a Memorandum of Understanding with the Society for Neuroscience, which provides significant funds for advocacy in Canada; with CIHR-INMHA to manage the Brain Star awards; with IBRO and BrightFocus to support participation of underrepresented groups in the CAN meeting through Travel award attribution.
Your membership helps support these initiatives and many more. To learn more about us and the benefits of being a CAN member, please visit: https://can-acn.org/become-a-member/
CAN membership is open to all scientists, principal investigators and students actively involved in neuroscience research from across Canada and around the world. CAN membership dues are paid annually and cover the calendar year from September 1st to August 31st.
We hope we can count on your participation and support this year!