Generative AI · Virtual Cells · Protein Design
Foundation models for biology, generative approaches to virtual cell simulation, and computational protein design.
New England Computational Biology Symposium
NECB 2026
A two-day, in-person symposium bringing the New England computational biology community together at Microsoft Research New England — keynotes, talks, posters, and connections across institutions.
About the symposium
NECB 2026 brings together the New England computational biology community for two days of keynotes, contributed talks, open-problem sessions, lightning talks, and posters at Microsoft Research New England.
We are an in-person, locally rooted symposium with a few simple goals: make it easy for researchers across New England universities, hospitals, and institutes to meet each other; create visibility for junior researchers and trainees; and seed new collaborations at the frontier of computation and the life sciences.
Registration is kept intentionally affordable at $100 per attendee. The top submitted abstracts will be selected for three lightning talks, and outstanding posters will be recognized with three poster awards.
Themes
NECB 2026 will focus on three intersecting frontiers.
Spatial & Single-Cell Omics
Methods, models, and applications at the single-cell and spatial transcriptomics frontier.
Agentic AI for Biology
Autonomous agents, reasoning systems, and agent–scientist collaboration for biological discovery.
Program at a glance
Draft program — subject to change. Final program will be announced closer to the conference.
Day 1 · Thu Oct 1, 2026
- 09:00 Opening keynote
- 10:00–10:30 Coffee break
- 10:30–12:00 Contributed talks
- 12:00–14:00 Lunch
- 14:00–15:00 Open problems session
- 15:00–17:00 Poster session
- 17:00 Afternoon keynote
Day 2 · Fri Oct 2, 2026
- 09:00 Morning keynote
- 10:00–10:30 Coffee break
- 10:30–12:00 Contributed talks
- 12:00–14:00 Lunch
- 14:00–15:00 Lightning talks (top 3 abstracts)
- 15:00–17:00 Poster session
- 17:00 Closing keynote · Poster awards
Speakers
Speakers will be announced on a rolling basis as invitations are confirmed.
Venue & travel
Microsoft Research New England
One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
- Format: In-person only
- Dates: October 1–2, 2026
The symposium will be held at Microsoft Research New England, in the heart of Kendall Square — a short walk from the MBTA Red Line and easily accessible from across the Boston area and beyond.
Detailed travel directions, accommodation suggestions, and special-rate hotel information will be posted here closer to the conference dates.
Organizers
Affiliations will be added as committee members confirm.
Conference Co-Chairs
- Luca Pinello Massachusetts General Hospital · Harvard Medical School
- Predrag (Pedja) Radivojac Northeastern University
- Kevin Yang Microsoft Research New England
Steering Committee
- Martha Bulyk · Brigham & Women's Hospital · Harvard Medical School
- Lucy Colwell · Google · University of Cambridge
- Nils Gehlenborg · Harvard Medical School
- Manolis Kellis · MIT
- Smita Krishnaswamy · Yale University
- Xihong Lin · Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Donna Slonim · Tufts University
- Olga Vitek · Northeastern University
Organizing Committee
- Ruben Dries · Boston University
- Benjamin Gyori · Northeastern University
- Wengong Jin · Northeastern University
- Dmitry Korkin · Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Heng Li · Dana-Farber Cancer Institute · Harvard Medical School
- Ying Ma · Brown University
- Jeremy Simon · Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Ignacio Vázquez-García · Massachusetts General Hospital · Harvard Medical School
Friends of the Conference
- Jason Buenrostro
Founding Chairs
- Luca Pinello · Massachusetts General Hospital · Harvard Medical School
- Predrag (Pedja) Radivojac · Northeastern University
Sponsors
Sponsorship helps us keep registration affordable, support trainee participation, and recognize outstanding contributions. We welcome partners — academic, industry, and foundations — whose missions align with the symposium.
Interested in sponsoring NECB 2026?
Get in touchKey dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration opens | Mon Jul 6, 2026 |
| Abstract submission opens | Mon Jul 6, 2026 |
| Abstract submission deadline | Fri Aug 14, 2026 |
| Author notifications | Fri Sep 4, 2026 |
| Early-bird registration ends | Fri Sep 11, 2026 |
| Conference | October 1–2, 2026 |
Contact
For general inquiries, sponsorship, or speaking interest, please reach the organizing committee at: