About the Workshop
Plants continuously adapt to fluctuating environments by integrating signals from multiple sources, with light acting as a dominant regulatory signal. Photoreceptors link light perception to plant development, physiology, and metabolism. Recent discoveries demonstrate that these receptors also function beyond light sensing — for instance, as thermosensors —, raising fundamental questions about how plants integrate diverse environmental inputs at the molecular and cellular levels. The International Symposium on Plant Photobiology 2026 (ISPP2026) will focus on the following key questions:
- How do photoreceptors integrate light, temperature, and metabolic signals to regulate plant growth and development?
- What molecular mechanisms link photoreceptor signaling to energy metabolism, plant nutrition, and photosynthesis?
- How conserved or diversified are photoreceptor-mediated signaling pathways across photosynthetic organisms?
- How does environmental signal integration via photoreceptors contribute to plant acclimation and resilience under changing environmental conditions?
This EMBO Workshop on ISPP2026 takes place in a single venue (max. 160 participants) and will offer a rich program of scientific and social activities throughout the meeting. Bringing together experts from different disciplines and at all career stages will provide an excellent opportunity for networking and deliver a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the field of plant photobiology.
Image credits: Cindy Chen
About EMBO Courses and Workshops
EMBO Courses and Workshops are selected for their excellent scientific quality and timelines, provision of good networking activities for all participants and speaker gender diversity (at least 40% of speakers must be from the underrepresented gender).
Organisers are encouraged to implement measures to make the meeting environmentally more sustainable.
