NEURO2026

Organizers: Sayaka Inoue (Washington University in St. Louis), Nariko Arimura (Tohoku University)

Mini-symposium organized by Diversity Committee

This seminar aims to provide graduate students and early-career researchers—who will lead the next generation—with insights to help them envision their future from multiple perspectives and proactively shape their own career paths. Neuroscience research spans a wide range of hierarchical levels, from molecular mechanisms to organismal and behavioral functions, and accordingly, researchers’ backgrounds and career paths have become increasingly diverse. In this session, we invite three internationally active researchers to reflect on how diverse factors—including gender, research environment, life events, and domestic and international experiences—have influenced their career development. In the latter half of the session, we will hold an interactive discussion between the speakers and participants. For early-career researchers, this will provide an opportunity to broaden their perspectives on possible career paths through diverse role models. For senior researchers, it will offer insights into mentoring younger scientists in ways that reflect the diverse needs of the current research environment.