The 19th Canadian Drosophila Research Conference - CanFly 2027

CanFly 2027 will take place at the Coast Canmore Hotel & Conference Centre from June 1 - 4, 2027, and is organized out of the University of Alberta and University of Manitoba. CanFly 2027 is open to researchers in academia and industry working in Canada and internationally.

University of Alberta is on land which long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Néhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Tsuut’ina First Nation, Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda) Nations, Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway/Saulteaux), lands that are now known as part of Treaties 6, 7 and 8 and homeland of the Métis. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous people whose footsteps have marked this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

Registration will open Jan 4th 2027!

Undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to participate by giving oral and poster presentations. The CanFly meetings offer a relaxed environment that accommodates a wide range of participants, allowing for respectful and stimulating exchanges. Discussions at previous editions of CanFly have led to the establishment of numerous collaborations between attendees.

Keynote speaker: Hugo J. Bellen, DVM, PhD

Dr. Hugo Bellen is a Distinguished Service Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and an internationally recognized leader in Drosophila genetics, neuroscience, and human disease modelling. His group has made foundational contributions to nervous system development, synaptic biology, neurodegeneration, and the creation of genetic tools that have transformed the fly community. Through the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network and collaborations with human geneticists worldwide, his lab uses Drosophila to discover disease genes and define mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Bellen is a former HHMI Investigator, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, EMBO, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and has received major honours including the Gruber Prize in Genetics and the George Beadle Award.