Time in the programme is Central European Time (CET), e.g. Stockholm, Umeå
Note! The programme is under construction, preliminary and subject to change
DAY 1: Tuesday 10 November
8.30 Registration and poster mounting Coffee
SESSION 1: OPENING and KEYNOTE LECTURE I (Chair: tba)
9.00 Welcome and Opening KBC DAYS 2026 Stefan Björklund Scientific Coordinator of KBC
9.10 Presentation by Umeå Doctoral Student Society (UDSS) TBA
9.15 RECEM - Research School for Excellence in Cementitious Materials Science Nils Skoglund Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umeå University
9.25 KEYNOTE LECTURE I: TBA Prof. Claus Ropers Director, Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
10.10 Smile & Recharge
10.15 Coffee
SESSION 2: NEW FACULTY MEMBERS, AWARD and GRANT RECIPIENTS from KBC (Chair: tba)
10.40 TBA Sun Nyunt Wai Department of Molecular Biology, UMU, Recipient of the Bo and Barbro Hammarström Prize at Umeå University for 2026
10.55 TBA Leonard Blaschek Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, SLU
11.10 Data-driven biology or biology-driven data? A PhysiOmics approach to neurobiology José Davila Velderrain Department of Molecular Biology, UMU
11.25 TBA Susan McEvoy Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, SLU
11.40 One laser, many worlds: ultrafast light for electronics, biology, and chemistry Markus Ludwig Department of Physics, UMU
12.00 Standing lunch
SESSION 3: KEYNOTE LECTURE II and PhD and FORSKARASPIRANT PROGRAMME STUDENT PRESENTATIONS (Chair: tba)
13.00 Elevator talk presentations (2 min each), Part 1
tba
13.10 KEYNOTE LECTURE II: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Energy Currents of Life Prof. Ville R. I. Kaila Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
13.55 Elevator talk presentations (2 min each), Part 2
tba
INTERACTION / POSTER SESSION
14.05 Poster presentations by PhD and Forskaraspirant Programme students and research infrastructures and coffee
SESSION 4: NEW FACULTY MEMBERS, AWARD and GRANT RECIPIENTS from KBC (Chair: tba)
15.00 TBA Juan Alonso-Serra Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, SLU
15.15 Application of human organoid models for the study of emerging pandemic respiratory viruses Meaghan Flagg Department of Clinical Microbiology, The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), UMU
15.30 Complex Trait Genetics and Plasticity for Resilient Plants Yanjun Zan Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, and Integrated Science Lab (IceLab), UMU
15.45 Breaking the membranous refuge of Chlamydia Barbara Sixt Department of Molecular Biology, UMU and recipient of ERC Consolidator Grant
16.00 Tracking infections through space with Bayesian phylogeographic methods Andrew Magee Department of Molecular Biology, Integrated Science Lab (IceLab), The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), UMU
16.15 A new generation of photochromic materials Lars Österlund Department of Chemistry, UMU
16.30 Poster viewing and mingling before the dinner starts
17.00 Art Workshop and Social Activity: “Dynamics unfolded”
18.00 Dinner at KBC Ljusgården (MAP) - Announcement of the student presentation prize winners - Announcement of the KBC Employee of the Year
DAY 2: Wednesday 11 November
8.30 Coffee
SESSION 5: KEYNOTE LECTURE III and NEW FACULTY MEMBERS from KBC (Chair: tba)
9.00 KEYNOTE LECTURE III: The emergence of eukaryotes as an evolutionary algorithmic phase transition Prof. Jordi Bascompte Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Switzerland
9.45 TBA Abdul Kareem Valiya Kadavu Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, SLU
10.00 TBA Adam Frew Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, UMU
10.15 Coffee
SESSION 6: RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE INFORMATION (Chair: Andre Mateus)
10.30 Overview of KBC Infrastructure Marta Bally Council for Research Infrastructure at Umeå University (RIS)
10.45 Tandem Talk 1: Investigating the potential of Nordic microalgae towards tolerance and bioremediation of micro- and nanoplastics Saumita Chakravarty, Department of Chemistry Junko Takahashi-Schmidt, Biopolymer Analytical Platform (BAP) Andras Gorzsas, Vibrational Spectroscopy Core Facility (ViSp)
11.10 Tandem Talk 2: Proteome-wide effects of drugs in representative species of the human gut microbiome Lucia Perez Jimenez, Department of Molecular Biology Andre Mateus, Umeå Proteomics Platform (UPP) Sara Henrikson, Umeå Centre for Electron Microscopy (UCEM)
11.35 Tandem Talk 3: TBA Ajay Kumar Poonia, Department of Physics Roushdey Salh, NanoLab Nils Hauff, Umeå Centre for Electron Microscopy (UCEM)
12.00 Standing lunch
Activities during lunch break: - Visit infrastructure representatives by their posters at KBC Ljusgården - Drop-in to Glasburen for Lunch pitch talks by Innovation Office: Beyond Research
Lunch pitch talks: Beyond Research (drop in to Glasburen)
Join us over lunch for two 10-minute talks exploring how research can move beyond academia and what to consider along the way. Drop in, listen and bring your questions!
12:30–12:40 | From research to use How can research findings make a difference beyond academia? Get a quick introduction to research utilisation and explore different ways research can be developed, applied and put into use.
13:00–13:10 | Intellectual property in research What is worth knowing about intellectual property as a researcher? Get an introduction to IP and how it connects to research results, ideas and opportunities for further development.
Speaker: Johan Nordlund, Innovation Office
SESSION 7: UMEÅ POSTDOC SOCIETY (UPS) (Chair: Iryna Yakovenko)
Programme is organised by UPS:
13.30 TBA Elena Hoffer Co-founder and CEO of Alma.se
14.30 Short break
14.40 Flash Talks
15.30 KBC DAYS 2026 Concluding Remarks Stefan Björklund Scientific Coordinator of KBC - Announcement of photo contest winner
