Skip to main content
impact
about
our story
explore our impact
careers and opportunities
join us
open science
sharing science to speed discovery
open science week
celebrating open science
team science
people & teams
discovery is a team effort
allenites
the people who make our work possible
advisors
their input shapes our science
board of directors
they help us fulfill our mission
shanahan foundation fellowship
at the interface of data and neuroscience
next generation leaders
fostering emerging leaders in bioscience
research
overview
our approach
science at the scale of greatest impact
publications
explore our publications
open science
sharing science to speed discovery
science accelerators
brain science
building a blueprint of the brain
cell science
understanding how cells become organs
neural dynamics
revealing the brain’s hidden algorithms
immunology
creating the ultimate immune system reference
synthetic biology
seattle hub for synthetic biology
education
overview
science education
science is for everyone
open science
sharing science speeds discovery
engagement
education resources
real science. real skills.
field trips
experience science where it happens
educator development
empowering educators
news
overview
all news
explore the latest news
podcast
the human stories behind discovery
sign up for our newsletter
stay connected to our science
events
overview
all events
public engagement, workshops, seminars and more
conferences
connect with us
science resources
science resources
allencell.org
allenimmunology.org
allenneuraldynamics.org
brain-bican.org
brain-map.org
microns-explorer.org
impact
back to menu
team science
our story
explore our impact
careers and opportunities
join us
open science
sharing science to speed discovery
open science week
celebrating open science
team science
people & teams
discovery is a team effort
allenites
the people who make our work possible
advisors
their input shapes our science
board of directors
they help us fulfill our mission
shanahan foundation fellowship
at the interface of data and neuroscience
next generation leaders
fostering emerging leaders in bioscience
research
back to menu
overview
our approach
science at the scale of greatest impact
publications
explore our publications
open science
sharing science to speed discovery
science accelerators
brain science
building a blueprint of the brain
cell science
understanding how cells become organs
neural dynamics
revealing the brain’s hidden algorithms
immunology
creating the ultimate immune system reference
synthetic biology
seattle hub for synthetic biology
education
back to menu
overview
science education
science is for everyone
open science
sharing science speeds discovery
engagement
education resources
real science. real skills.
field trips
experience science where it happens
educator development
empowering educators
news
back to menu
overview
all news
explore the latest news
podcast
the human stories behind discovery
newsletter
stay connected to our science
events
back to menu
overview
all events
public engagement, workshops, seminars and more
conferences
connect with us
science resources
back to menu
science resources
allencell.org
allenimmunology.org
allenneuraldynamics.org
brain-bican.org
brain-map.org
microns-explorer.org
search
events

2026 Lake Conference

Join the Allen Institute for Cell Science and Circuit Neuroscience Basel in Seattle, Washington, April 20–22, 2026, for a 3 day conference.

Modeling Life from Cells to Tissues: Emergence and Self-Organization, exploring how tissues self-organize from the collective behavior of individual cells. This meeting will bring together biologists, physicists, AI researchers, and theoreticians for engaging presentations, cross-disciplinary discussions, and networking.
share/
Join the Allen Institute for Cell Science and Circuit Neuroscience Basel in Seattle, Washington, April 20–22, 2026, for a 3 day conference.
This is some text inside of a div block.
location/ 
Allen Institute
dates / April 20–22, 2026
audience/ 
Graduate
Postdocs
Scientists

event details

Advances in imaging, synthetic biology, and AI-driven modeling are transforming the study of morphogenesis and self-organization, making it possible to connect molecular mechanisms with emergent multicellular behaviors. Researchers can now test long-standing theories of how cells coordinate to form robust tissues, and how their breakdown contributes to disease.

This scientific program will feature 26 invited talks, organizer-selected short talks from participants, two poster sessions, and will bring together leaders and early-career researchers for a highly interactive meeting. Lake conferences are medium in size, bringing together 80-100 participants to foster lively discussion, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and exchange of ideas. The program will probe how local rules and cellular agency shape morphogenesis, regeneration, and tissue homeostasis. Through experimental modeling approaches, we will ask how robust patterns emerge, and what their failure reveals about disease.

Key topics include

  • Cell representations beyond gene expression
  • Self-organization and coordination
  • Engineering multicellularity
  • Resilience in biological systems

venue/

This conference will be held at the Allen Institute, a 270,000-square-foot life sciences building, located in South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. The building is purpose-built for life science research and facilitates our trademark team science approach amid abundant natural light and with stunning views of Seattle.

Upon arrival at the Allen Institute, check in at the registration desk each day located in the lobby and you will be directed to the meeting. Please wear your name badge for the duration of the meeting.

Accepted applicants will receive additional travel and accommodation details in advance of the event.

speakers list/

  • Alan Lowe, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
  • Alex Schier, Universität Basel
  • Allon Klein, Harvard University
  • Amy Shyer, The Rockefeller University
  • Arthur Lander, University of California, Irvine
  • Christina Theodoris, Gladstone Institutes; University of California, San Francisco
  • Dana Pe’er, Sloan Kettering Institute, MSKCC
  • Ewa Paluch, University of Cambridge
  • Giovanni D’Angelo, EPFL Switzerland  
  • James Briscoe, The Francis Crick Institute
  • Jesse Veenvliet, Max Planck Institute for Cell Biology and Genetics
  • Jun Allard, University of California, Irvine
  • Karen Alim, Technical University of Munich
  • L. (Maha) Mahadevan, Harvard University
  • Matthias Lutolf, Roche Institute of Human Biology and EPFL
  • Michael Elowitz, Caltech
  • Miguel Concha, Universidad de Chile
  • Miki Ebisuya, Physics of Life TU Dresden
  • Mukund Thattai, National Centre for Biological Sciences
  • Nicoletta Petridou, European Molecular Biology Laboratory
  • Paul François, Université de Montréal
  • Rashmi Priya, The Francis Crick Institute
  • Sara Wickström, MPI Molecular Biomedicine
  • Sebastian Streichan, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Takashi Hiiragi, Hubrecht Institute
  • Yanlan Mao, University College London

‍

Lake Conferences are a new series of 6 bi-annual conferences aiming to provide stimulating forums to broad research communities in key developing areas of neuroscience and cell biology with substantial anticipated potential for society.

These conferences are jointly organized by Circuit Neuroscience Basel and the Allen Institute, and are held in Switzerland and the U.S.

speakers
agenda
poster map

explore related events

explore more events
event / September 23 - 25, 2026
Stem Cell & Developmental Biology Early Career Symposium
For the first time, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB), and the Allen Institute for Cell Science (AICS) are collaborating to present a three-day scientific symposium led by early-career scientists.
explore more events
Scientists present colorful microscopy research data on laptop at academic conference poster session

safety, respect, inclusion: our event code of conduct

learn more
we acceleratedevelopcatalyzeimpact

science done differently. shared openly.

explore our accelerators

brain science

Mapping every cell, connection, and circuit in the brain—openly shared with the world.

cell science

Decoding how cells become tissues, then programming that knowledge into powerful new research tools.

neural dynamics

Revealing the brain's hidden algorithms that transform neural activity into real-world behavior.

immunology

Creating the deepest open reference for the healthy human immune system ever built.

synthetic biology

Engineering cells to record their own histories, transforming how we understand disease over time.

research

Big questions, open answers, and science built to be shared.

education

Inspiring the next generation of scientists through open science resources.

impact

Our science is empowering researchers and advancing health worldwide.
advancing science through open, collaborative research
Get the allen institute newsletter
Stay informed on the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience, bioscience, and AI-driven research.
allen institute
impactpeople & teamscareers & opportunitiesalumnihistory & founder
science resources
allencell.orgallenimmunology.orgallenneuraldynamics.orgbrain-bican.orgbrain-map.orgmicrons-explorer.org
research
brain sciencecell scienceneural dynamicsimmunologysynthetic biologypublications
education
science educationfield tripsprofessional developmenteducation resources
quick links
newseventsopen sciencepodcastscience resourceshuman brain donationvisit uscontact
follow us/

allen institute, 615 Westlake Ave North, Seattle, WA 98109 +12065487055

© 0000 allen institute. all rights reserved.
privacy policyterms of usecitation policyemployee portalpolicy & compliancecookie settings