5th Transatlantic ECI GPCR Symposium
The 5th Transatlantic ECI GPCR Symposium was held virtually on September 3rd - 4th, 2025
About the Symposium
The 5th Transatlantic ECI GPCR symposium is a 2-day symposium organized by and for early career investigators (ECIs) exploring the fascinating world of GPCRs. The symposium seeks to promote international collaboration among early-career scientists in the GPCR field and to transfer the experience of more established researchers to ECIs to guide their future careers. Come join researchers from around the globe!
This event will be held online via Zoom.
This 2-day symposium will provide opportunities for postdoctoral scientists and graduate students to present their research to an international community in a virtual format and to participate in diverse sessions aiming to inspire and guide their future career and research. All attending ECIs can actively participate by presenting posters or oral presentations, asking questions during the career panel and get in touch with GPCR leaders during lunch sessions (or breakfast / dinner depending on individual timezones).
All attending Early Career Investigators are encouraged to present their research during the meeting! The organizing committee will select oral presentations and posters from submitted abstracts.
→ Oral presentations by ECIs in dedicated ECI sessions
→ Interactive poster sessions
→ 2 keynotes
→ Career panels
→ Networking events
→ Posters & accompanying short video presentations accessible throughout the symposium week
→ Prizes for best talks and best posters will be awarded!
Keynote Speakers
Unconventional GPCR Signaling in the Hedgehog Pathway and Beyond
Prof. Ben Myers is an associate professor who started his lab at the University of Utah in 2018 in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. His lab studies transmembrane signaling in development and cancer, with research focuses on signal transduction of the hedgehog pathway, the primary cilium, and new roles for lipids and kinases in cellular signal transduction. By combining biochemical and structural approaches with cell biology and in vivo models, his group has uncovered new and unexpected ways for membrane lipids to regulate GPCR activity and for GPCRs to control intracellular kinases.
Exploring the landscape of chemosensory GPCRs in the era of AI
Prof. Antonella Di Pizio obtained her PhD in Drug Sciences from the University of Chieti (Italy) in 2012. Since 2018, she has led the Molecular Modelling group at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
Her research combines artificial intelligence with structural bioinformatics to deepen our understanding of ligand recognition and signaling in G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). While her work includes pharmacologically relevant GPCRs, Prof. Di Pizio is internationally recognized as one of the leading experts in taste and olfactory receptors. The overarching goal of her research is to enable the rational design of novel ingredients for food reformulation and sensory modulation.
Career Session I - Meet Academia!
Ask all your burning questions regarding a career in academia to our fantastic panelists:
Dr. Ben Myers, University of Utah (USA)
Dr. Antonella di Pizio, Technical University Munich (Germany)
Dr. Raphael S. Haider, University of Nottingham (UK)
Dr. Makaía Papasergi-Scott, University of Rochester (USA)
Career Session II - Meet the Industry!
Ask all your burning questions regarding a career in industry to our fantastic panelists:
Dr. Hannah Stoveken Lum, Principal Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb
Dr. Aurélien Rizk, CSO of InterAx Biotech
Dr. Alpay Seven, Director of Structural Biology at Deep Apple Therapeutics
Session I:
Cell Signaling (Signaling Partners & Membrane Environment)
Session II:
AI and Web-Resources in Pharmacology
Session III:
Innovative Methods and Technologies
Session IV:
Computational Approaches in Drug Discovery
Session V:
Cell Signaling (Subcellular Signaling and Regulation)
Session VI:
Structural Insights
Organizers
Janelle Lanham - Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI, USA)
Makaía Papasergi-Scott - University of Rochester (Rochester, NY, USA)
Tomasz Stepniewski - Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (Barcelona, Spain)
Edda Matthees, University Hospital Jena (Jena, Germany)
Thank you to our generous sponsors!
...and funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) - project number 567253528
Location
Online event:
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact ecigpcrsymposium@gmail.com
