Why BNA2025 Deserves a Spot on Your Calendar

Still unsure about attending the Festival of Neuroscience this April? There is still time to register! If the BNA Autumn 2024 programme is anything to go by, this year’s event promises to be fantastic. Sign up now before the registration fee increase on April 7th!

Now I cannot lie, I love a good conference, symposium, workshop, or networking drinks. I also have to admit, I am a big fan of the British Neuroscience Association (BNA). I have been a member for the past year and a half and have attended everything from a social evening at the 2024 FENS Forum in Vienna to the most recent Festive Symposium in Leeds. As a social media ambassador for the BNA2025: Festival of Neuroscience in Liverpool this April 27th-30th, I might be a little biased - but trust me, this is one event you won’t want to miss.

This three-day scientific programme is packed with incredible speakers, fantastic posters, and amazing networking opportunities. It is a phenomenal international event, with global organisations declaring it a very important neuroscience conference for 2025. Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to explore the historic port city of Liverpool. But don’t just attend because I told you to; the BNA consistently delivers top-quality presentations and networking events. This past autumn, I had a wonderful time at “Careers in Neuroscience” in October and my second Festive Symposium ("The Resilient Brain") in December - let me tell you why these events keep me coming back for more!  

Careers in Neuroscience

This free BNA evening event included a panel with a formal Q&A session, followed by networking drinks with attendees and panellists. It attracted a diverse crowd, from undergraduates to post-docs, and represented a range of universities, though there was heavy University College London representation (not unexpected given the location at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre). The panellists themselves also had strong connections with UCL, with many having either studied there or currently teaching at the university. 

As promised by the BNA, the panellists did not disappoint, representing a broad range of careers. We heard from Dr. Rebecca McKelvey, Education Partnership Lead at Google DeepMind and founder of In2ScienceUK (an organisation empowering young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in STEM-based industries); Dr. Ruth Weir, Head of Entrepreneurship at UCL; Dr. Keri Tochiki, who works for Accenture in Strategy & Consulting Practice in Health and Public Services; Dr. Sophie Morgan, Senior Science Editor in the Neuroscience team at Nature Communications; and Dr. Sandrine Géranton, Associate Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at UCL. 

While academia was well-represented, this selection by the BNA highlighted the many career directions one can take with a PhD in neuroscience. The panellists emphasised the importance of persistence in their contributions to science, in academia, industry, or beyond.

I must admit, I didn’t research the panel much before I attended, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were all women. It felt like a happy coincidence, although it could have been predicted, given that women in the UK are more likely to volunteer than men [1]. The audience were also predominantly women which, intentional or not, meant the panel provided excellent representation compared to the attendees. This also led to more insightful discussions, during both the Q&A and networking drinks - topics which included balancing career and family planning, when the flexibility was required to move and advance your career, and choosing to live in London following postgraduate education. Not every panellist shared the same opinions on these topics, which really highlighted how personal the process of career development and adulthood can be. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the style of this event, along with its content, and think it really illustrated the BNA’s commitment to supporting early career researchers of all backgrounds, particularly those looking to venture beyond academia. I am excited to see these same principles manifest at the Festival of Neuroscience. There will be a plethora of ECR related events alongside the scientific programme, including a dedicated Careers Zone (with CV clinics, headshot drop-ins, and more). I am especially excited about WiNUK being selected to host an entire session on “Understanding and Tackling Sex/Gender Disparities in Neuroscience” (Tuesday April 29th, 9:30 am - 11:15 am), with a range of speakers across the field of neuroscience –including our founder Elizabeth “Lizzie” English.

The Resilient Brain

Contrasting “Careers in Neuroscience,” the BNA Festive Symposium this year, “The Resilient Brain,” is a long-standing event hosted by the BNA. The symposium alternates cities each year; this time it was held in the lovely city of Leeds at the beautiful Metropolitan Hotel. As the title suggests, the day’s programme consisted of 14 speakers exploring the wonderful capacity of the brain to ‘bounce back’ or maintain its function in the wake of injury and disease. I found the event especially inspiring and left feeling hopeful about the future, particularly in terms of my own ageing. 

The speakers were exceptional presenters, who really got into the spirit of the event. I was especially engaged by the plenary speaker, Dr. Henne Holstege from the Alzheimer Centre Amsterdam, who shared her research on the centenarian cohort (seniors over 100 years of age) in Amsterdam and what they could teach us about healthy ageing and mental decline. As a basic science researcher, I can sometimes drift off when the discussion becomes too translational or clinical. However, when the scientific communicator is as captivating as Dr. Holstege, it doesn’t matter what field the talk falls into - her passion and clarity made the topic engaging for everyone. 

This year also marked the first Festive Symposium poster presentation session. Although I didn’t participate personally, I think this was a great addition and I got fantastic feedback from ECRs who appreciated the extra opportunity to showcase their work. 

Another highlight was the excellent collaboration between the BNA and their external sponsors. The BNA’s team of coordinators seamlessly integrated sponsorship into the event in a way that was beneficial for everyone involved. A special shout-out to the Company of Biologists for sponsoring my train fare, along with 23 others, as part of the Green Travel Grant fund! 

Given my stellar experience, I am eager to dig into the speaker and poster programme for the Festival of Neuroscience. I know that the BNA has selected incredible people from all over the UK and beyond to showcase their work. The broad theme of the event also promises more basic science representation, which I appreciate. In fact the week is structured so that even if you only attend one day you should still be able to see something relevant to your subdiscipline!  

By now, I hope you are thoroughly convinced! If any of these events sound exciting, please do check out the BNA2025: Festival of Neuroscience. Regular registration is open until April 7th, with late registration available afterwards, at a slightly higher fee, until April 26th. Even if this year’s timing doesn’t work for you, I still strongly encourage you to join the BNA. As I’ve shown, the BNA offers a wealth of educational and professional development opportunities, as well as grants and other support. I would highly suggest following the BNA on your preferred platform (BSky, Twitter/X, Instagram, or LinkedIn) to stay up to date on their other upcoming events.

And if you are interested in following my journey to BNA2025 (or that of the other social media ambassadors) you can find our handles here and give us a follow on your favourite platform! 

References

1. “UK Civil Society Almanac 2023: Volunteering.” NCVO, The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, 12 Oct. 2023, www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-insights/news-index/uk-civil-society-almanac-2023/volunteering/.

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This article was written by Anna Jansson and edited by Rebecca Pope, with graphics produced by Ginevra Sperandio. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.