From April 10 to 12, 2026, the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neurobiology Society of the Chinese Neuroscience Society was successfully held at Shenzhen University. The conference was organized by the Cognitive Neurobiology Society of the Chinese Neuroscience Society and hosted by the School of Psychology at Shenzhen University. Nearly 200 experts, scholars, faculty members, and students from more than 50 universities and research institutions across China gathered to discuss the latest advances in cognitive neuroscience. The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Bi Yanchao, Council Member of the Chinese Neuroscience Society, Chair of the Cognitive Neurobiology Committee, and Chair of the Annual Meeting.
Dean Chen Qi of the School of Psychology at Shenzhen University delivered a welcome address. He noted that, as the host institution of this annual meeting, the School of Psychology has made steady progress in disciplinary development and research innovation over the past ten years since its founding. The School has now established a comprehensive talent cultivation system spanning from undergraduate to doctoral education, and has developed distinctive strengths especially in interdisciplinary fields such as cognitive neuroscience. Every step of the School’s development, he emphasized, has been made possible by the support and encouragement of colleagues both in China and abroad. Focusing on the frontiers of the discipline, this year’s meeting features a series of thematic sessions and has the honor of welcoming leading experts in cognitive neurobiology. He expressed the hope that the conference would inject new vitality into the development of cognitive neuroscience in China.
Closely aligned with development trends in neurobiology, the annual meeting focused on frontier breakthroughs and practical applications in cognitive neurobiology, with the aim of building an open, inclusive, pragmatic, and efficient platform for academic exchange. To further deepen scholarly interaction and broaden the scope of discussion, a pre-conference workshop on computational modeling of reinforcement learning was specially organized prior to the official opening of the meeting. The workshop featured Professor Zhang Ruyuan of Peking University and Assistant Professor Fang Zeming of Shenzhen University, who shared cutting-edge techniques and research methods. It was designed to enhance participants’ practical research skills and to promote the wider adoption and innovative development of related methodologies.
During the conference, participating experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions around key topics. Through keynote speeches, thematic discussions, and poster presentations, they shared the latest research findings, exchanged insights from their work, and explored current bottlenecks and future directions for development in the field. Keynote reports were delivered by Professor Wang Liping and Professor Bao Jin from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Liu Hesheng from Changping Laboratory, and Professor Wang Liang from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, each presenting the latest advances in their respective areas of research.
The annual meeting centered on four major themes: social cognition, cognitive intervention, cognitive maps, and cognitive intelligence. More than 20 experts and scholars from cognitive neuroscience and related fields delivered outstanding thematic presentations on their respective research findings. Participants engaged in lively discussion and in-depth exchange on frontier issues within each theme. In addition, the conference featured a dedicated lightning talk session, in which nearly 10 early-career scholars took the stage in succession to present their latest research findings, fully demonstrating the innovative thinking and exploratory enthusiasm of the younger generation of researchers and bringing fresh energy to the academic exchange.
After a period of intensive and rewarding discussion, the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neurobiology Society of the Chinese Neuroscience Society successfully concluded on the afternoon of April 12. Professor Bi Yanchao, Chair of the Conference, delivered the closing remarks. Throughout the meeting, the insightful presentations and in-depth discussions by participating experts and scholars not only effectively broadened the academic horizons of all attendees, but also inspired new exploration and fresh reflection on future research directions in cognitive neuroscience. The successful convening of this annual meeting not only built an efficient and accessible bridge for academic exchange among colleagues in the field, but also contributed to new breakthroughs and further development in basic cognitive neuroscience research in China, injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of the discipline.
