Register now: ONWAR Annual PhD Meeting 2026 | Nov 26 & 27

[Hubregtse, K. (Kim)]

To the PhD students of the Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam Rotterdam (ONWAR) and Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (CEN-Utrecht)

ONWAR Annual PhD Meeting 2026

November 26–27, 2026 | Woudschoten Conference Centre, Zeist

Dear PhD students,

We are pleased to invite you to the 32nd Annual PhD Student Meeting, which will take place on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, 2026, at the Woudschoten Conference Centre in Zeist.

The Annual Meeting offers a unique opportunity to present your research in an informal and supportive environment, exchange ideas with fellow PhD students from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht, learn about exciting developments across neuroscience, and expand both your scientific and social network.

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Attendance

Participation is mandatory for all ONWAR PhD students.

Attendance will be registered by signing the attendance list at both the start and end of the meeting. Full attendance is required in order to qualify for the ONWAR Graduate School certificate.

For CEN PhD students, participation is voluntary. However, full attendance will be rewarded with 1 ECTS.

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Registration & abstract submission

Please register and submit your abstract via:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemDI4EPHmpUUKrgmTtYhxszd39kPbYMUN42Ze97Gns0zGJ-g/viewform?usp=header

Deadline: August 17, 2026

Instructions for preparing your abstract are attached to this email.

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Scientific programme

The meeting consists of oral presentations, blitz presentations and poster sessions.

Please register according to the current year of your PhD appointment, regardless of how many Annual Meetings you have attended previously.

Presentation requirements are as follows:

First-year PhD students

  *   Participate in the evaluation of poster presentations.
  *   May present a poster if you already have research results.

Second-year PhD students

  *   Mandatory poster presentation.

Third-year PhD students

  *   Mandatory blitz presentation followed by a poster presentation.

Fourth-year PhD students

  *   Mandatory oral presentation.

For PhD students with a three-year appointment:

  *   Year 1: Poster presentation
  *   Year 2: Blitz presentation + poster
  *   Year 3: Oral presentation

Awards will be presented for the best oral presentation, blitz presentation and poster.

As in previous years, special attention will be paid to active participation during question sessions following the oral presentations. Asking thoughtful questions and engaging in scientific discussion are important skills that contribute to scientific progress.

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Choosing your research topic

During registration you will be asked to indicate:

  *   one main research topic
  *   one main technique
  *   one model system (organism)

These selections help us:

  *   create focused poster groups;
  *   organize the parallel scientific sessions;
  *   improve interactions between PhD students working on similar topics.

If none of the available categories fit your research, please provide two keywords instead.

Please note that registrations received after the deadline will have their poster group, workshop and room assignment allocated randomly.

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Programme

Based on all submitted abstracts, the organizing committee will prepare a scientific programme with parallel sessions covering a broad range of neuroscience topics in a bench-to-bedside approach.

The topics included in the programme depend entirely on the submitted abstracts. Therefore, if you would like your research area to be represented, please make sure to register before the deadline.

The final programme will be distributed by email in mid-October.

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Social event

An evening social event will take place during the Thursday of the meeting. It is a great opportunity to meet fellow PhD students, strengthen existing collaborations and make new connections.

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Important information

  *   The official language of the meeting is English.
  *   All poster and oral presenters must submit an abstract in advance.
  *   Blitz presenters will have 90 seconds to introduce their research and invite participants to visit their poster. The subsequent poster session provides ample opportunity for in-depth scientific discussion.

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Stay connected

Follow ONWAR<https://www.linkedin.com/company/onwar/> on LinkedIn for updates.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Kim Hubregtse
k.hubregtse at vu.nl<mailto:k.hubregtse at vu.nl>

We look forward to seeing you in Woudschoten!

Kind regards,

The Organizing Committee

Federika Malichova
Dimitrios Samouil
Adriana Poza Rodríguez
Noémie Zerrouki
Margot Steijger
Maxime van Veghel
Peter de Greef
Lucija Blazevski
Malak Osman Choucri
Lilla Fábian
Max Koppers
Amélie Fréal




Kim Hubregtse
PhD Coordinator, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR) | cncr.nl<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.fga.cncr.nl_&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=9OwVS9X1FxVRZt8kWeXGFQ&m=-x3i2BCg8s4pBUcB2KYY_SpPEm8PaDLe7duFCHZCuYw&s=b-wMtP4X2ETFG4ZicQd-um8A3-gQc2MTW3iGEPWkgjE&e=>
Coordinator Graduate School Neurosciences Amsterdam Rotterdam (ONWAR) | onwar.nl<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.onwar.nl_&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=9OwVS9X1FxVRZt8kWeXGFQ&m=-x3i2BCg8s4pBUcB2KYY_SpPEm8PaDLe7duFCHZCuYw&s=d_7gS0pVlzuH00hbTRS8R3N7UxlmHoSWkzxF3C3rFZA&e=>
Working days: Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr | k.hubregtse at vu.nl<mailto:k.hubregtse at vu.nl> | T: +31 205980955
Mailing address: De Boelelaan 1100, 1081 HZ Amsterdam
Visiting address: VUO 8B-145 | E-mail disclaimer<https://vu.nl/en/about-vu/more-about/about-the-vu-website> | www.vu.nl<https://vu.nl/en/>

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