NN2026 seeks to understand this perspective with experimental paradigms that seek to strike a balance between full experimental control and full realism. This two-day symposium spotlights substantive research, novel neurotechnology, and theoretical underpinnings in this field. In addition to a series of distinguished keynote talks, participants will have the opportunity to present their work through oral or poster presentations, and to visit local naturalistic neuroscience and virtual reality facilities.
Schedule
Day 1: Thursday, 28 May 2026
Campus Poppelsdorf, Rotation Building, Käthe-Kümmel-Str. 1, 53115 Bonn
09.30 Check-in desk opens | Complementary tea & coffee reception
10.00 Opening remarks & introduction | Dominik Bach (University of Bonn)
10.30 Session 1: Spatial Navigation | Chair: Dominik Bach (University of Bonn)
- Neil Burgess (University College London): Using VR in Mice and Humans to Examine the Neural Integration of Environmental and Self-Motion Information (Keynote)
- Lukas Kunz (University Hospital Bonn): Theta-Phase Locking of Human Neurons During the Encoding and Retrieval of Spatial Memories (Talk)
- Dyutika Banerjee (University Hospital Bonn): Probing How the Temporal Structure of Odour Plumes Informs Mouse Navigation Behaviour (Talk)
12.05 Lunch Break with Poster Session 1 | On Display: Posters #1 – #16
13.30 Session 2: Neurotechnology & Modelling | Chair: Tobias Rose (University Hospital Bonn)
- Gareth Barnes (University College London): Wearable Magnetic Field Sensors for Neuroimaging (Keynote)
- Jason Kerr (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar): What the Brain Sees During Predator-Prey Interactions of Sky and Ground-Based Animals (Keynote)
- Jens Tillmann (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases – DZNE): Modeling Neuro-Behavioral State Dynamics from Longitudinal Multimodal Recordings (Talk)
15.05 Coffee Break
15.30 Session 3: Sensorimotor Processing | Chair: Sabine Krabbe (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases – DZNE)
- Katja Reinhard (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati): Light and Time Shape Innate Behaviours (Keynote)
16.20 Wrap-up
16.30 Transfer to Offsite Locations (Endenich | Ippendorf | Duisdorf)
17:00 Facility Visits
19.00 Social dinner (required extra ticket or invitation)
Day 2: Friday, 29 May 2026
Campus Poppelsdorf, Rotation Building, Käthe-Kümmel-Str. 1, 53115 Bonn
09.00 Session 4: Perception | Chair: Floris de Lange (Radboud University Nijmegen & University of Bonn)
- Georg Keller (Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research): A Cortical Circuit Approach to Psychosis (Keynote)
- Tobias Rose (University Hospital Bonn): Stability and Stabilization of the Neural Code in Sensation and Action (Talk)
- Cem Uran (University Hospital Bonn & Radboud University Nijmegen): Behavioral and Learning Signatures of Predictive Thalamocortical Dynamics (Talk)
10.35 Coffee break
11.00 Session 5: Human Neural Recordings | Chair: Lukas Kunz (University Hospital Bonn)
- Matthias Stangl (Boston University): The Social Brain in Action: Cognitive Maps of Self and Others in the Real World (Keynote)
- Alana Darcher (University Hospital Bonn): Decoding Movie Content From Neuronal Population Activity in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe (Talk)
- Philip Sulewski (University of Osnabrück): Fixation Duration on Natural Scenes Is Explained by Memory Encoding Not Processing Demand (Talk)
- Pierangelo Nicolas D'Onofrio Pacheco (University of Düsseldorf): Distinct Neural Signatures of Tactile Bias and Sensory Uncertainty During Movement (Talk)
12.35 Lunch break with Poster Session 2 | On Display: Posters #17 – #32
14.00 Session 6: Stress-Related Behaviour | Chair: Ilona Grunwald-Kadow (University of Bonn)
- Karin Roelofs (Radboud University Nijmegen): Fear Behaviour from Lab to Clinic (Keynote)
- Dominik Bach (University of Bonn): The Computational Grammar of Human Behaviour in a Biological Environment (Talk)
- Jan Gründemann (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases – DZNE): Distributed Neuronal Circuits for Aversive Learning (Talk)
15.35 Coffee break
16.00 Session 7: Clinical Neuroscience | Chair: France Rose (University of Bonn)
- Jennifer Faber (University Hospital Bonn & German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases – DZNE): Leveraging AI-Informed Motion Capturing for Digital Video-Based Movement Analysis in Neurodegeneration (Keynote)
- Melissa Steininger (University of Bonn & University Hospital Bonn): Toward Interpretable Cognitive Screening in Epilepsy: Eye Tracking in a VR Trail Making Test (Talk)
16.45 Closing Remarks & Farewell
17:00 End of Event
Film and photo notice:
The organizers will take photos during the symposium, which will be published on the internet, in print media, and on social media channels to document the event. By participating in NN2026, participants agree to tbe recorded, as well as to the storage and publication of their image. Please speak to our photographers on site if you do not wish to be photographed or filmed.
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