Conference Funding: Society of General Physiologists "Molecular Evolution in the Membrane

Project Summary This proposal requests funds to support the 77th Annual Symposium of the Society of General Physiologists (SGP) entitled `Molecular Evolution in the Membrane' from September 4th to September 8th, 2024, at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, MA. SGP symposia are international meetings for

physiologists, biophysicists, and neuroscientists of all career stages. A different meeting theme is selected each year, in order to draw focus to an emerging or particularly timely area of research within the field of physiology. The 2024 meeting will highlight cutting edge research in membrane proteins drawing on the tools

of molecular evolution. Molecular evolution is a powerful tool to understand the origins of functional diversity in proteins, and has catalyzed a range of discoveries pertaining to diverse topics like drug discovery, structure prediction, and the mechanistic underpinnings of complex physiologies. The 2024 meeting will bring together

~150 scientists and trainees to discuss cutting-edge fundamental research that applies the tools of molecular evolution to understanding the mechanisms of transporters, ion channels, and receptors with significance to physiology and human health. This meeting size is large enough to represent a diverse range of research

areas, and small enough to maximize individual discussions and foster collaborative interactions between students, postdoctoral fellows, early-career investigators, and established leaders in their fields. The organizers, Drs. Randy Stockbridge (University of Michigan) and Lucy Forrest (NIH/NINDS) have significant

expertise in experimental and computational approaches to understand mechanisms of membrane transport proteins. A highly accomplished and diverse international group of 24 speakers that will contribute to a synergistic environment at the meeting. The meeting program also includes roundtable discussions on topics

of diversity/inclusivity and professional development, along with poster sessions, short talks selected from abstracts, and 2-minute poster preview talks. The SGP has a long track record of providing outstanding administrative support, and the Marine Biological Laboratory venue is historical, conveniently located, and an

excellent meeting environment. All these factors will help ensure a successful meeting.