Important Deadlines
Early Registration Deadline: November 18, 2026
Scholarship Deadline: September 22, 2026
Short Talk Abstract Deadline: September 22, 2026
Poster Abstract Deadline: December 28, 2026
Meeting Summary
Title: Sensory Systems: Interoception and Exteroception
Date: January 18 - 21, 2027
Location: Keystone Resort, Keystone, CO, USA
Scientific Organizers: Alexander Chesler, Stephen Liberles, and Vanessa Ruta
Keynote Speaker(s): Misha Ahrens, Janelia Research Campus
Our basic external sensory systems - touch, taste, vision, hearing, and smell - enable us to perceive the world around us, and other internal sensory systems enable us to perceive the secret world within us. Recent advances have revealed the molecular logic of how some sensory systems work, while other sensory systems remain uncharted. Fields of sensory biology often maintain separate cultures, and are at varying levels of maturity, with different frontiers, unknowns, and perspectives. The goal of this meeting is to bring leading experts from different sensory fields together, and to broadcast conceptual and technical advances achieved in one sensory system that may enable new findings in others. Symposia will highlight recent advances in each external sense: vision, olfaction, taste, hearing, and touch/pain/temperature sensation, as well as new developments in the emerging field of internal organ sensation. Speakers will be included to discuss a range of topics from (1) receptors and sensory mechanisms, (2) neural circuits, (3) behavioral and physiological responses, and (4) the genetic basis of sensory deficits.
*This meeting will be held jointly with Neurobiology of Appetite Control
Join Options
Attend in person 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.