The Plant-Herbivore Interaction GRS provides a unique forum for young doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to present their work, discuss new methods, cutting edge ideas, and pre-published data, as well as to build collaborative relationships with their peers. Experienced mentors and trainee moderators will facilitate active participation in scientific discussion to allow all attendees to be engaged participants rather than spectators.
The Plant–Herbivore Interactions Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) is a forum for doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers to present their research, exchange ideas, and build collaborations within an interactive, trans-national, and multidisciplinary environment. The seminar prioritizes active participation by both trainees and mentors. It will facilitate discussion around emerging concepts, new methodologies, and unpublished research with the overall goal of fostering excellence in plant-herbivore science and the professional and intellectual development of trainees.
Plant–herbivore interactions are fundamental to ecological and evolutionary processes because they structure ecological communities and generate immense biological diversity through coevolution. These processes are important for us to predict the effects of rapid global environmental change – such as those induced by climate, resource availability, and shifting biotic networks – and will require a mechanistic understanding of the genetics, physiology, and immunology of both plant defense strategies and herbivore performance. Understanding these dynamics requires integrating foundational principles with new approaches that capture complexity across scales of biological organization.
This seminar will highlight early-career research exploring plant–herbivore interactions, from molecular and physiological processes to population and community-level dynamics, including those that are influenced by ongoing global change. Topics will span chemical ecology, eco-immunology, behavior, and multitrophic interactions, with an emphasis on linking mechanisms to ecological outcomes and developing predictive frameworks. By bringing together diverse systems and perspectives, the GRS aims to foster new ideas, interdisciplinary connections, and collaborations among emerging scientists in the field.
We invite you to join us at the 2027 GRS to contribute to discussions on the future of plant–herbivore research in a changing world. The seminar will include keynote and trainee talks, poster presentations, and a career development panel focused on navigating research careers and maximizing scientific impact. The GRS will immediately precede the Gordon Research Conference on Plant–Herbivore Interactions.
Application Instructions
The seminar will feature approximately 10 talks and 2 poster sessions. All attendees are expected to actively participate in the GRS, either by giving an oral presentation or presenting a poster. Therefore, all applications must include an abstract.
The seminar chair will select speakers from abstracts submitted by October 25, 2026. Those applicants who are not chosen for talks and those who apply after the deadline to be considered for an oral presentation will be expected to present a poster. In order to participate, you must submit an application by the date indicated in the Application Information section above.
Program Format
Gordon Research Seminars are 2-day meetings which take place on the Saturday and Sunday just prior to the start of the associated GRC. The GRS opens with a 1-hour introductory session on Saturday afternoon, followed by a poster session, dinner and a 2-hour session in the evening. Sunday morning begins with breakfast and is followed by another 2-hour session, a second poster session, and lunch. A final 1-hour session takes place just after lunch, and the associated GRC begins later that evening.
