Annual Drosophila Research Conference

The Annual Drosophila Research Conference is the premier meeting for Drosophila researchers. As many as 1,000 presentations cover the full diversity of Drosophila investigations, from genetics to molecular biology, cell biology, development, immunology, physiology, neuroscience, evolution, and more.

Upcoming Conferences

Save the date for #Dros23!
64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference
March 1–5, 2023
Sheraton Grand Chicago
Chicago, IL

Past Conferences

2022: San Diego, CA and Online | Watch Highlight Videos | Abstract Book
2021: #Dros21 Online | Watch Highlight Videos | Abstract Book
2020: The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC) | Watch Highlight Videos | Abstract Book
2019: Dallas, TX
2018: Philadelphia, PA
2017: San Diego, CA
2016: Orlando, FL
2015: Chicago, IL
2014: San Diego, CA
2013: Washington, DC
2012: Chicago, IL
2011: San Diego, CA
2010: Washington, DC
2009: Chicago, IL
2008: San Diego, CA
2007: Philadelphia, PA
2006: Houston, TX
2005: San Diego, CA
2004: Washington, DC
2003: Chicago, IL
2002: San Diego, CA
2001: Washington, DC
2000: Pittsburgh, PA

Awards

Larry Sandler Award

The Larry Sandler Memorial Lecture is presented by an outstanding recent PhD graduate on the opening night of the Conference. We invite you to nominate candidates for the lecture, which was established in 1988 by the colleagues, friends, and students of Dr. Larry Sandler after his untimely death in 1987. The award serves to honor Dr. Sandler for his many contributions to Drosophila genetics and his exceptional dedication to the training of Drosophila biologists. The winner receives complimentary registration for the 64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference as well as a lifetime membership in GSA.

Eligibility

Any student completing a PhD in an area of Drosophila research between July 2022 and December 2023 is eligible and must be nominated by their thesis advisor.

Nomination

All nominations must be submitted by the student’s thesis advisor and should include the following:

• Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae
• Nominee’s thesis abstract of 1-2 pages
• A nomination letter directly answering the following questions (1,000 words maximum):
  • What are the main discoveries in the nominee’s thesis?
  • What are the intellectual and experimental contributions of the nominee to the project?
  • How does the thesis work advance what was previously known in the field and to previous work from your lab?

Deadline

The nomination deadline for the 2023 award cycle will be announced in Fall 2022.

Past Recipients

Bruce Edgar, 1988

Kate Harding, 1989

Michael Dickinson, 1990

Maurice Kernan, 1991

Doug Kellogg, 1992

David Schneider, 1993

Kendal Broadie, 1994

David Begun, 1995

Chaoyong Ma, 1996

Abby Dernburg, 1997

Nir Hacohen, 1998

Terence Murphy, 1999

Bin Chen, 2000

James Wilhelm, 2001

Matthew C. Gibson, 2002

Sinisa Urban, 2003

Sean McGuire, 2004

Elissa Hallem, 2005

Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos, 2006

Yu-Chiun Wang, 2007

Adam A. L. Friedman, 2008

Timothy T. Weil, 2009

Leonardo Koerich, 2010

Daniel Babcock, 2011

Stephanie Turner Chen, 2012

Weizhe Hong, 2013

Ruei-Jiun Hung, 2014

Zhao Zhang, 2015

Alejandra Figueroa-Clarevega, 2016

Danny E. Miller, 2017

Lucy Liu, 2018

Laura Fairbanks Seeholzer, 2019

Balint Kacsoh, 2020

Ching-Ho Chang, 2021

Lianna Wat, 2022

Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Awards

Named to honor the memory of Victoria Finnerty, this award helps support travel costs for undergraduates presenting their Drosophila research at the Annual Drosophila Research Conference.

Finnerty was a long-time member of the Genetics Society of America and served the Drosophila and genetics communities in many capacities. Her ground-breaking work as a graduate student used high-resolution recombination analysis to dissect gene structure. This set the stage for a 35-year career in which she excelled as a gifted teacher as well as a research scientist. Vickie was a wise, compassionate mentor and teacher for whom interactions with her students was a constant joy. She constantly sought new ways to engage undergraduates in their genetics courses and in research; the Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Award continues her stellar example. Learn more about the Victoria Finnerty Awards ≫

Drosophila Image Award

The Drosophila Image Award recognizes compelling images that communicate important findings in Drosophila research. Any image from a paper that has been accepted for publication in the calendar year preceding the Annual Drosophila Research Conference is eligible and can be submitted by the researcher who generated it. The award is given to the most striking image and video that clearly convey an important biological result. Learn more about the Image Awards ≫

Poster Awards

Awards will be given for the best poster presentations by GSA undergraduate and graduate student members. Judges take both scientific merit and clarity of presentation into account. You must be the first AND presenting author on the abstract to be eligible for an award. You must also be a GSA student member at the time you submit your abstract and must check the option during abstract submission to enter your poster in the competition.

The following prizes will be awarded:

• 1st place – $300
• 2nd place – $200
• 3rd place – $100

Winners will be announced during the conference. All candidates must upload an oral overview and pdf of their poster to be eligible for an award. PIs and postdocs who are GSA members can indicate during registration if they would like to help with judging. See past Poster Award recipients ≫