Important Deadlines
Early Registration Deadline: March 3, 2027
Scholarship Deadline: January 5, 2027
Short Talk Abstract Deadline: January 5, 2027
Poster Abstract Deadline: April 12, 2027
Meeting Summary
Title: Plant and Microbe Engineering for Sustainability
Date: May 2 - 5, 2027
Location: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Scientific Organizers: Daniel F Voytas, Ralph Bock, and Jennifer Pett-Ridge
Keynote Speaker(s): Sarah O’Connor, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
This international conference, Plant and Microbe Engineering for Sustainability, will address the urgent scientific challenges of ensuring agricultural productivity and resilience in the face of climate change and global population growth. The meeting will explore how cutting-edge advances in gene editing, synthetic biology, computational modeling, and AI can be applied to plant, microbial, and plant-microbiome systems to promote sustainable agriculture.
The conference will convene leading researchers across disciplines to share new scientific insights, develop and disseminate innovative tools and technologies, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations. Sessions will emphasize the engineering of plant and microbial systems for improved stress tolerance, nutrient use efficiency, and carbon sequestration. Programmatic elements will include interactive workshops, early-career training sessions, and structured networking events designed to catalyze collaborative projects and guide future research efforts toward transformative agricultural solutions — from smallholder farms to industrial-scale operations.
Unlike many scientific meetings, this conference is explicitly interdisciplinary and goal-focused, designed to accelerate progress by integrating diverse expertise around shared sustainability challenges.
*This meeting will be held jointly with Receptor Kinase Signaling: Fueling Plant Resilience and Development
Join Options
Attend in person, via livestream, or catch sessions on demand after the conclusion of the conference.
*Keystone Symposia Scholarships & Awards*
Keystone Symposia offers discounted registration to students in undergraduate, M.S., Ph.D., or M.D. programs, providing access to the latest scientific advances, technologies, and approaches to further research and careers.
In addition, several financial aid opportunities are also available to support attendance at its scientific meetings:
- Student and Postdoctoral Scholarships provide up to $1,200 to help defray travel, lodging, registration, and related costs when presenting a poster at an in-person conference. Awards are competitive, based on the abstract’s scientific quality and relevance, and you must apply by the individual scholarship deadline for the desired meeting (abstract + mentor letter required).
- Early-Career Travel Awards (ECITAs) support early-career investigators with funding to attend meetings; these also require application by the posted deadline for each conference.
- Global Health Travel Awards (GHTAs) provide financial aid for scientists, clinicians, fellows, and students from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to participate in select Keystone Symposia meetings, especially those focused on global health topics. These awards may cover registration, lodging, airfare, and ground transportation, and applications are submitted through the Financial Aid Portal by the listed meeting deadlines. Learn which meetings have in-person GHTAs available: https://www.keystonesymposia.org/financial-aid/global-health-awards/ghta-listing
For details on eligibility, deadlines, and how to apply for financial aid, visit: https://www.keystonesymposia.org/financial-aid.