Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Location: Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall
Join us for a full day of engaging presentations and discussions celebrating the innovative aging-related research conducted by ELCHA Investigators and trainees!
8:30 – 9:00 AM: Coffee and registration
9:00 – 9:10 AM: Welcome remarks and land acknowledgement
9:10 – 10:10 AM: Keynote Lecture – Dr. Alex Wiesman, Canada Research Chair in Neurophysiology of Aging and Neurodegeneration and Assistant Professor, Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University
10:10 AM – 10:20 PM: Short Break
10:20 – 11:50 PM: Trainee Talks – 12-minute presentations by selected trainees, with Q&A sessions
11:50 – 1:00 PM: Poster presentations and lunch
Simultaneous sessions:
- 1:00 PM – Trainee and Staff Workshop: “Writing a Grant Proposal: Crafting a Compelling Research Story” by Xuan Zhang, Senior Program Manager, Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication*.
- 1:15 PM – Full Faculty Meeting for ELCHA Investigators. Hear updates about the ELCHA from the Centre Director, Dr. Michael Kobor, and participate in discussions about future Centre priorities and initiatives
2:20-2:40 pm: Break
2:40-4:00 Faculty Talks – 20-minute talks from ELCHA Investigators on diverse aging related topics, with Q&A sessions
4:00 – 4:15 PM: Closing Remarks & Award Announcements
Announcement of the winners of the Trainee Talk and Poster Presentation competitions
4:15 – 5:15 PM: Networking Social
End the day with refreshments, appetizers, and networking!
*The Writing a Grant Proposal: Crafting a Compelling Research Story workshop will introduce an evidence-based framework for understanding how successful grant proposals work as persuasive research stories. Through guided analysis of successful proposals by UBC scholars and short writing exercises, participants will practice shaping their own research ideas into a persuasive, fundable research narrative that can be adapted across disciplines and funding agencies.
The workshop will be led by Dr. Xuan Zhang, who holds a PhD in Audiology and Speech Sciences from UBC. In her current role as the Senior Program Manager at the Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication, Dr. Zhang oversees the writing consultation service and designs academic writing programs. Her work focuses on advancing academic language development across disciplines and supporting students in navigating the linguistic and rhetorical expectations of research writing.