CNS 2026 | Workshops, Socials & Special Events

 

SESSION	DATE	TIME	LOCATION
Satellite - International Sleep Replay Workshop	Friday, March 6	8:00 am - 6:00 pm	Salon F
Satellite - The Virtual Brain Node: Personalized Simulations for Cognitive Neuroscience	Friday, March 6	8:00 am - 6:00 pm	Salon D
Workshop on Cognitive Neuroscience for Foundation Models	Saturday, March 7	12:00 - 1:15 pm	Salon ABC
Workshop - Sound & Color: Depicting the Synesthetic Mind (screening)	Sunday, March 8	12:00 - 1:15 pm	Salon ABC
Workshop - MIND: A New Toolkit for Structuring Brain and Body Research Data	Sunday, March 8	12:00 - 1:15 pm	Salon D
Workshop - Cognitive Neuroscience and Society: Resistance and Resilience During Science Funding Crises	Monday, March 9	12:00 - 1:15 pm	Salon ABC
Workshop - Capturing Real-World Brains in XR: Seamless Brain-Behavior Experiments with DSI and LABO	Monday, March 9	12:00 - 1:15 pm	Salon D

Satellite - International Sleep Replay Workshop

Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Salon F

Join us for the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop – March 6th in Vancouver!

The International Sleep Replay Workshop (ISRW) brings together scientists from around the world who study the interface between sleep and memory. The focus of the workshop is on understanding how reactivation of memories during sleep impacts consolidation. Talks and discussions center on studies manipulating and monitoring reactivation, primarily in humans.

The 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop will be held in person in Vancouver, BC, Canada on March 6th, 2026. The workshop will include symposia, short talks, discussion groups, posters, and tutorials, as well as time to interact informally. Learn more here: https://isrw.bio.uci.edu/

The workshop is open to all: experience with sleep research is not required. Registration for this satellite event is separate to CNS 2026. You can register using this link: http://isrw.bio.uci.edu/ Registration Deadline, February 15th, 2026.

Satellite - The Virtual Brain Node: Personalized Simulations for Cognitive Neuroscience

Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Salon D

This one-day satellite event introduces personalized brain network modelling using TheVirtualBrain (TVB), an open-source simulation platform. Participants gain theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in nonlinear dynamics, TVB software architecture, resting-state network modelling, and parameter optimization. Applications to aging, pediatrics, and workflows on high-performance computers are also explored.

This satellite event is open to all and requires separate registration from CNS 2026. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged. Learn more and register at: https://tvbnode-cns2026.eventbrite.ca

Workshop on Cognitive Neuroscience for Foundation Models

Saturday, March 7, 2026, 12:15 - 1:15 pm, Salon ABC

This workshop explores how cognitive-neuroscientific methods and theories illuminate the study of foundation models, and vice versa. Presentations focus on behavioral-reductionist and interpretability methods to investigate computational substrates underlying cognitive functions exhibited by models trained on linguistic and/or multimodal inputs, offering insights for both AI development and cognitive science.

Workshop - Sound & Color: Depicting the Synesthetic Mind (screening)

Sunday, March 8, 2026, 12:15 - 1:15 pm, Salon ABC

Discussants: Alissa Fagin, Sound & Color Documentary; Dr. Joan Ongchoco, Assistant Professor in Cognitive Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the Director of the UBC Perception & Cognition Lab.

Sound & Color, a short documentary, follows the process of animating synesthesia artist Sarah Kraning's visual experience of sound. Through its nuanced exploration of Sarah's mind, the film contemplates cross-sensory modalities, subjective perception, and art's role in transforming the personal into the universal. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.

Workshop - MIND: A New Toolkit for Structuring Brain and Body Research Data

Sunday, March 8, 2026, 12:15 - 1:15 pm, Salon D

Extended reality (XR) and mobile biosensors (EEG, fNIRS, etc.) enable powerful, real-world measurement of brain and behaviour; however, inconsistent formats waste valuable time. This workshop presents an open data standard and toolkit for unified data collection and streaming, enabling scalable and multimodal datasets to train AI that predicts human behaviour.

Workshop - Cognitive Neuroscience and Society: Resistance and Resilience During Science Funding Crises

Monday, March 9, 2026, 12:15 - 1:15 pm, Salon ABC

Recent U.S. policy changes threaten the scientific community. This workshop features opportunities to address this crisis and build resilience. We share insights from national advocacy initiatives led by early-career CNS researchers—the Science & Community Impacts Mapping Project and Scientist Network for Advancing Policy—complemented by professional development for trainees

Workshop - Capturing Real-World Brains in XR: Seamless Brain-Behavior Experiments with DSI and LABO

Monday, March 9, 2026, 12:15 - 1:15 pm, Salon D

Discover how dry-electrode EEG and immersive extended reality (XR) can be combined to study cognition in naturalistic yet controlled environments. Using Wearable Sensing’s VR-compatible dry EEG systems and SilicoLabs’ LABO platform, attendees will experience low-burden, scalable brain–behavior experiments with synchronized neural, behavioral, and contextual data capture.