2025 Mitochondria in Health and Disease Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar - Project Summary This application seeks partial funds to support the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Mitochondria in Health and Disease to be held in Ventura, CA, March 23-29th 2025. The meeting will be the third in this series and covers diverse topics in mitochondrial biology with emphasis on the contextual responses of different cells and tissues, including the brain. This stand-alone mitochondria-focused meeting emerged from the growing need for a forum to capture and integrate the many areas involving mitochondrial biology, ranging from basic and translational science to environmental health and computational biology. The GRC format is particularly well suited for this forum because it provides a five-day conference setting where cutting edge unpublished findings are presented in an inclusive environment, attracting experts and trainees from institutions worldwide. Time for discussions and networking is rigorously protected and encouraged in every scientific session and free time in the afternoons. A setting where open discussion takes place encourages collaboration and is crucial to advancing the frontiers of mitochondrial science. In addition to accelerating mitochondrial research and promoting cross-disciplinary collaborations, the conference is committed to enhance visibility and participation of women scientists, minorities, and young investigators. For the 2025 meeting, 45% of confirmed speakers and discussion leaders are women; 10% of whom are from underrepresented minorities (URM). Also, 8 invited speakers are at the Assistant Professor level. Short talks selected from abstracts will further provide opportunities to feature research by early career scientists, trainees and URM. The meeting will also host a GRC-sponsored Power Hour, which is an open communication forum scheduled early during the conference to discuss challenges surrounding diversity in science. Another conference objective is to train graduate students and postdocs and provide networking and informal mentoring opportunities to enrich their career development. The 2025 meeting will also host for the first time the associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which involves a full day of talks and poster sessions one day prior to the main meeting. It provides a forum for graduate students, post-docs, and other scientists with comparable levels of experience and education to present their work in addition to build collaborative relationships with their colleagues at a critical time in their careers. The GRS is also an ideal opportunity to introduce young investigators to the GRC experience. The GRS is chaired by two trainees, who have full independence and discretion in organizing the program. Collectively, the GRS and GRC will have scientific sessions featuring outstanding mitochondrial biologists from multidisciplinary fields, with a broad focus on Mitochondria Signaling and Metabolism. Given the collective breadth of expertise and research interests, we believe our program will catalyze productive cross-disciplinary interactions to propel the field forward.
