Early Career Scientist Symposium 2026

An Association Run by Postdocs for Postdocs

General Information

The UC Riverside Postdoctoral Association (RPA) holds an annual Early Career Scientist Symposium (ECSS) featuring oral and poster presentations and invited speakers.

The 2026 STEM-Humanities ECSS will take place on June 17th, 2026, at the Genomics Building Auditorium, UCR Campus in Riverside, CA.

Why to Participate?

The ECSS is a great opportunity for professional development and networking within the UCR community. The goals of this event are for you to:

Communicate your research
Explore the diversity of research performed at UCR
Collaborate with other postdocs and graduate students
Invent a world-changing idea

The symposium provides a unique opportunity to get more out of your UCR experience than spending days and nights in the lab, field, or office.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Karthikeyan Chandrasegaran

Department of Entomology, UCR

Morning Keynote
View Profile

Dr. Elizabeth Rowen

Department of Entomology, UCR

Afternoon Keynote
View Profile

Panel Discussion Speakers

Dr. Vlad Sirbu

View Profile

Dr. Amancio De Souza

View Profile

Eligibility, Selection, and Awards

The RPA invites the postdoc community (postdoctoral/visiting scholars and project scientists) and graduate students in STEM and Humanities to actively participate in the upcoming symposium:

🗣️ Oral presentations are primarily open to postdoctoral/visiting scholars and project scientists. Graduate students may also be considered for the oral presentation session depending on the number of applicants and the quality of abstracts. The Evaluation Committee will select the eight most relevant abstracts for oral presentations. Each speaker will have 15 minutes to present and 5 minutes to address questions. The remaining abstracts will be considered in the selection for the poster session.
🪧 Poster presentations are open to postdoctoral/visiting scholars, project scientists, and graduate students. Posters will be presented as 3-minute flash talks and grouped by topic with time for questions afterwards.
🏆 Research awards will be presented to the best oral and poster presentations: $500, $300, and $200 for best three oral presentations, and $200, $150, and $100 for the best three poster presentations. The awards will be transferred to each winner’s department for research-related expenses.

Consult abstract, talk, and poster guidelines here .

Registration and Call for Abstracts

Abstract submission and registration is free and available until May 15th (extended), 2026, through this form . Lunch will be provided for speakers and registered attendees, so pre-registration is mandatory.

Timeline

May 15th, 2026 : Abstract submission deadline for oral and poster presentations
May 30th, 2026 : Registration deadline for attendees
June 1st, 2026 : Selected speakers and posters will be notified
June 17th, 2026 : Symposium

📣 Advertising for this event is by social media and word of mouth, so please pass this solicitation along to any interested parties.