The Karger Workshop is a one-day symposium on a specific topic in comparative or evolutionary neurobiology, organized by one or more members of the J. B. Johnston Club and sponsored by S. Karger AG.
Dear JBJC Members and Friends,
Recent events have proven difficult and troublesome for many. Fortunately, we have exciting news to share regarding the 2025 annual meeting. We have found a modern (and affordable) venue in downtown San Diego. We are, therefore, pleased to announce that the 37th Karger Workshop in Evolutionary Neuroscience and the 44th Annual Meeting of the JB Johnston Club will be held at UC San Diego Park & Market(parkandmarket.ucsd.edu) on the 13th & 14th of November. This facility is conveniently located within walking distance to the San Diego Convention Center. We also have a local agent working on a nearby reasonably priced courtesy hotel room block.
Hotel Room Block:
We are pleased to announce that we have been able to secure a hotel room block for our JBJC members at Hotel Indigo in the Gaslamp district. To make use of these limited room block please go ahead and Please use the reservation weblink below to book your stay directly with the hotel.
https://book.passkey.com/go/JBJohnstonClub2025
Presentations for the annual meeting will be selected by the program committee from submitted abstracts. The abstract form for 2025 is available on our website and should be mailed to Andrew Iwanuik ([email protected]) by the 15th July 2026. JBJC presentations are short talks (~ 20 minutes) meant to present a comparative viewpoint not available in other venues. We give preference to synthetic talks or those with a relevant theoretical overview. We also invite speculative or divergent viewpoints and encourage talks that will provoke discussion. Note that you must be a member to submit an abstract. If you need to join or renew your membership, you may do so on our website: https://www.jbjclub.org/join-today.html. Please feel free to share this with colleagues and students that might not normally present at or attend our meetings but should!
We look forward to a wonderful Karger workshop and accompanying set of talks for the Annual meeting. Please feel free to reach out should you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you all San Diego!
Call for Karger Workshop Proposals 2026:
Are you interested in submitting a workshop proposal for our next Karger Workshop?If so read our call for proposals for more insight on the process and the benefits to organizing a workshop.
PROPOSAL FOR 38th KARGER WORKSHOP IN EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE
The deadline for submission of proposals is April 30th, 2026.
Through the generosity of the Karger Publishing Company (publishers of Brain, Behavior and Evolution), the Karger workshop for Evolutionary Neuroscience has been held for 36 years in conjunction with the annual J.B. Johnston Club meeting. These workshops provide a forum for researchers to meet and discuss a single broad topic in the field of evolutionary and comparative neuroscience. The workshops and the subsequent special issues of Brain, Behavior and Evolution (see below) provide a valuable tool for disseminating information among both established scientists and students newly arrived in the field. Any member of the J.B. Johnston Club may propose a Karger Workshop. Please use the following guidelines when planning your workshop.
Responsibilities of the organizer(s):
1. Develop a topic that would be appealing to a large number of comparative or evolutionary neuroscientists, even if the topic is outside the main research interest of most JBJC members.
2. Karger Workshops generally have 6 - 8 presenters, with about 45 minutes each for their talk, questions and a limited discussion. The organizers should choose distinguished researchers whose contributions to the Workshop will add breadth and insight into the selected topic. We hope to have speakers from different career stages, different countries, different genders, and different ethnicities to promote a vibrant interaction.
3. One of the presenters should be an internationally recognized scholar in the field of the chosen topic who does not usually attend the annual JBJC meeting. This person is designated the Special Invited Guest and will be expected to speak not only at the Karger Workshop, but also the next day at the regular J.B. Johnston Club meeting.
4. The organizer, in the role of Guest Editor, will be responsible for collecting and editing the subsequent papers before they are sent to the Editor-in-Chief for publication in Brain, Behavior and Evolution. The organizers will also need to write a preface to the special issue.
Benefits to the organizer(s) and speakers:
1. One night stay at the JBJC hotel, compliments of the Karger Publishing Company.
2. All meals the day of the Karger Workshop, including a formal dinner that evening.
3. Publication of the workshop papers in Brain, Behavior and Evolution.
Benefits to the Special Invited Guest:
1. Three nights stay in the JBJC hotel, compliments of the Karger Publishing Company and the J.B. Johnston Club.
2. Economy airfare and ground transportation from home to the hotel.
3. All meals the day of the Karger Workshop, including a formal dinner that evening.
4. Publication of the workshop papers in Brain, Behavior and Evolution.
Proposal Instructions:
If you are interested in organizing a workshop, please email the following information to the Program Committee Chair, Andrew Iwanuik ([email protected]) by April 30th, 2026:
1) Title or general topic of the workshop
2) Names and email addresses of the suggested speakers and preliminary talk titles. Please state whether you have already contacted the speakers to confirm their interest and availability.
3) Your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number
4) Any other pertinent information (1 page maximum)
PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS (published in BB&E the year after they were held):
1989: Comparative Neurobiology: Problems for a New Decade – organized by R. G. Northcutt
1990: Homology as a Tool in Neuroscience – organized by H. Baker
1991: Effectors, Behavior, and Evolution – organized by C. Carr
1992: The Neurobiology of Reproductive Behavior – organized by L. E. Muske and L. S. Demski
1993: Avian Auditory-Vocal Motor Interfaces – organized by S. E. Brauth and W.S. Hall
1994: Evolution of the Forebrain – organized by M. R. Braford, Jr.
1995: Neurobiology of Jawless Fishes – organized by C. M. Rovainen
1996: Evolution of Vertebrate Sensory Systems – organized by R.R. Fay and A. N. Popper
1997: Development and Evolution – organized by T. J. Neary and B. Fritzsch
1998: Steroid Action on Brain and Behavior – organized by J. G. Dulka
1999: The Diversity of Mammalian Cerebral Cortex – organized by T. M. Preuss
2000: Social Modulation of Brain and Behavior – organized by M. Grober
2001: Evolutionary Convergence as a Tool in Neuroscience – organized by H. L. Eisthen and K. C. Nishikawa
2002: Perspectives on the Evolution of Cognition - organized by Lainy B. Day and Alice S. Powers
2003: The Development of Vertebrate Sensory Organs - organized by R. Glenn Northcutt
2004: Hindbrain Evolution, Development, and Organization - organized by Eduardo Rosa-Molinar and Michael B. Pritz
2005: Evolution of Neurotrophic Factors - organized by Christopher S. von Bartheld
2006: Plasticity and Diversity in Behavior and Brain Function - organized by Ovind Overli
2007: Neurobiological Lessons Learned from Comparative Studies - organized by Hans A. Hofmann and Caroly A. Shumway
2008: Forebrain Evolution in Fishes - organized by R. Glenn Northcutt and Mario F. Wulliman
2009: Vision with an Eye to Ecology - organized by Andrew Iwaniuk and Douglas Wylie
2010: Diversity in Cortical Organization - organized by Jon H. Kaas
2011: The Nervous System of Cartilaginous Fishes – organized by Kara E. Yopak
2012: Evolution of Brain Complexity and Animal Minds – organized by Leo Demski
2013: The Problem of Human Brain Evolution: Integrating Diverse Approaches – organized by Chet Sherwood
2014: The Neurobiology and Behavior of Predators and Prey – organized by Ken and Liz Catania
2015: The Role of Adult Neurogenesis in Plasticity: Evolutionary Insights – organized by Alice Powers
2016: The Hippocampus: questions of homology – organized by Anat Barnea and Tom Smulders
2017: From Fossils to Function: Integrative and Diverse Approaches to Vertebrate Evolutionary Neuroscience—organized by Ashley Morhardt
2018: The Role of Species Diversity in Neuroscience—organized by Georg Striedter and Todd Preuss
2019: Evolution of Natural and Drug-Sensitive Reward in Addiction—organized by Robert Huber
2020: Heterochrony in comparative neurodevelopment —organized by Drew Halley (Online meeting)
2021: JBJC Spring virtual symposium : Peace through herpetofauna: A tribute to Walt Wilczynski (Online meeting)
2021: Conservation, divergence and convergence in amygdala evolution - organized by Loreta Medina and Ester Desfelis (Online meeting)
2022: Exaptation, Maladaptation and evolution of the nervous systems - organized by Daphne Soares with assistance by Grace Capshaw
2023: The evolution of diversification of glia across invertebrates and vertebrates - organized by Carmen Falcone
2024: Mapping neurobiological diversity - organized by Daniel Miller & Kathrine Bryant
2025: Evolution of cortico-hippocampal circuitry in vertebrates - organized by Menno Witter, Daniel Reznik & Kari Hoffman
Dear JBJC Members and Friends,
Recent events have proven difficult and troublesome for many. Fortunately, we have exciting news to share regarding the 2025 annual meeting. We have found a modern (and affordable) venue in downtown San Diego. We are, therefore, pleased to announce that the 37th Karger Workshop in Evolutionary Neuroscience and the 44th Annual Meeting of the JB Johnston Club will be held at UC San Diego Park & Market(parkandmarket.ucsd.edu) on the 13th & 14th of November. This facility is conveniently located within walking distance to the San Diego Convention Center. We also have a local agent working on a nearby reasonably priced courtesy hotel room block.
Hotel Room Block:
We are pleased to announce that we have been able to secure a hotel room block for our JBJC members at Hotel Indigo in the Gaslamp district. To make use of these limited room block please go ahead and Please use the reservation weblink below to book your stay directly with the hotel.
https://book.passkey.com/go/JBJohnstonClub2025
Presentations for the annual meeting will be selected by the program committee from submitted abstracts. The abstract form for 2025 is available on our website and should be mailed to Andrew Iwanuik ([email protected]) by the 15th July 2026. JBJC presentations are short talks (~ 20 minutes) meant to present a comparative viewpoint not available in other venues. We give preference to synthetic talks or those with a relevant theoretical overview. We also invite speculative or divergent viewpoints and encourage talks that will provoke discussion. Note that you must be a member to submit an abstract. If you need to join or renew your membership, you may do so on our website: https://www.jbjclub.org/join-today.html. Please feel free to share this with colleagues and students that might not normally present at or attend our meetings but should!
We look forward to a wonderful Karger workshop and accompanying set of talks for the Annual meeting. Please feel free to reach out should you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you all San Diego!
Call for Karger Workshop Proposals 2026:
Are you interested in submitting a workshop proposal for our next Karger Workshop?If so read our call for proposals for more insight on the process and the benefits to organizing a workshop.
PROPOSAL FOR 38th KARGER WORKSHOP IN EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE
The deadline for submission of proposals is April 30th, 2026.
Through the generosity of the Karger Publishing Company (publishers of Brain, Behavior and Evolution), the Karger workshop for Evolutionary Neuroscience has been held for 36 years in conjunction with the annual J.B. Johnston Club meeting. These workshops provide a forum for researchers to meet and discuss a single broad topic in the field of evolutionary and comparative neuroscience. The workshops and the subsequent special issues of Brain, Behavior and Evolution (see below) provide a valuable tool for disseminating information among both established scientists and students newly arrived in the field. Any member of the J.B. Johnston Club may propose a Karger Workshop. Please use the following guidelines when planning your workshop.
Responsibilities of the organizer(s):
1. Develop a topic that would be appealing to a large number of comparative or evolutionary neuroscientists, even if the topic is outside the main research interest of most JBJC members.
2. Karger Workshops generally have 6 - 8 presenters, with about 45 minutes each for their talk, questions and a limited discussion. The organizers should choose distinguished researchers whose contributions to the Workshop will add breadth and insight into the selected topic. We hope to have speakers from different career stages, different countries, different genders, and different ethnicities to promote a vibrant interaction.
3. One of the presenters should be an internationally recognized scholar in the field of the chosen topic who does not usually attend the annual JBJC meeting. This person is designated the Special Invited Guest and will be expected to speak not only at the Karger Workshop, but also the next day at the regular J.B. Johnston Club meeting.
4. The organizer, in the role of Guest Editor, will be responsible for collecting and editing the subsequent papers before they are sent to the Editor-in-Chief for publication in Brain, Behavior and Evolution. The organizers will also need to write a preface to the special issue.
Benefits to the organizer(s) and speakers:
1. One night stay at the JBJC hotel, compliments of the Karger Publishing Company.
2. All meals the day of the Karger Workshop, including a formal dinner that evening.
3. Publication of the workshop papers in Brain, Behavior and Evolution.
Benefits to the Special Invited Guest:
1. Three nights stay in the JBJC hotel, compliments of the Karger Publishing Company and the J.B. Johnston Club.
2. Economy airfare and ground transportation from home to the hotel.
3. All meals the day of the Karger Workshop, including a formal dinner that evening.
4. Publication of the workshop papers in Brain, Behavior and Evolution.
Proposal Instructions:
If you are interested in organizing a workshop, please email the following information to the Program Committee Chair, Andrew Iwanuik ([email protected]) by April 30th, 2026:
1) Title or general topic of the workshop
2) Names and email addresses of the suggested speakers and preliminary talk titles. Please state whether you have already contacted the speakers to confirm their interest and availability.
3) Your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number
4) Any other pertinent information (1 page maximum)
PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS (published in BB&E the year after they were held):
1989: Comparative Neurobiology: Problems for a New Decade – organized by R. G. Northcutt
1990: Homology as a Tool in Neuroscience – organized by H. Baker
1991: Effectors, Behavior, and Evolution – organized by C. Carr
1992: The Neurobiology of Reproductive Behavior – organized by L. E. Muske and L. S. Demski
1993: Avian Auditory-Vocal Motor Interfaces – organized by S. E. Brauth and W.S. Hall
1994: Evolution of the Forebrain – organized by M. R. Braford, Jr.
1995: Neurobiology of Jawless Fishes – organized by C. M. Rovainen
1996: Evolution of Vertebrate Sensory Systems – organized by R.R. Fay and A. N. Popper
1997: Development and Evolution – organized by T. J. Neary and B. Fritzsch
1998: Steroid Action on Brain and Behavior – organized by J. G. Dulka
1999: The Diversity of Mammalian Cerebral Cortex – organized by T. M. Preuss
2000: Social Modulation of Brain and Behavior – organized by M. Grober
2001: Evolutionary Convergence as a Tool in Neuroscience – organized by H. L. Eisthen and K. C. Nishikawa
2002: Perspectives on the Evolution of Cognition - organized by Lainy B. Day and Alice S. Powers
2003: The Development of Vertebrate Sensory Organs - organized by R. Glenn Northcutt
2004: Hindbrain Evolution, Development, and Organization - organized by Eduardo Rosa-Molinar and Michael B. Pritz
2005: Evolution of Neurotrophic Factors - organized by Christopher S. von Bartheld
2006: Plasticity and Diversity in Behavior and Brain Function - organized by Ovind Overli
2007: Neurobiological Lessons Learned from Comparative Studies - organized by Hans A. Hofmann and Caroly A. Shumway
2008: Forebrain Evolution in Fishes - organized by R. Glenn Northcutt and Mario F. Wulliman
2009: Vision with an Eye to Ecology - organized by Andrew Iwaniuk and Douglas Wylie
2010: Diversity in Cortical Organization - organized by Jon H. Kaas
2011: The Nervous System of Cartilaginous Fishes – organized by Kara E. Yopak
2012: Evolution of Brain Complexity and Animal Minds – organized by Leo Demski
2013: The Problem of Human Brain Evolution: Integrating Diverse Approaches – organized by Chet Sherwood
2014: The Neurobiology and Behavior of Predators and Prey – organized by Ken and Liz Catania
2015: The Role of Adult Neurogenesis in Plasticity: Evolutionary Insights – organized by Alice Powers
2016: The Hippocampus: questions of homology – organized by Anat Barnea and Tom Smulders
2017: From Fossils to Function: Integrative and Diverse Approaches to Vertebrate Evolutionary Neuroscience—organized by Ashley Morhardt
2018: The Role of Species Diversity in Neuroscience—organized by Georg Striedter and Todd Preuss
2019: Evolution of Natural and Drug-Sensitive Reward in Addiction—organized by Robert Huber
2020: Heterochrony in comparative neurodevelopment —organized by Drew Halley (Online meeting)
2021: JBJC Spring virtual symposium : Peace through herpetofauna: A tribute to Walt Wilczynski (Online meeting)
2021: Conservation, divergence and convergence in amygdala evolution - organized by Loreta Medina and Ester Desfelis (Online meeting)
2022: Exaptation, Maladaptation and evolution of the nervous systems - organized by Daphne Soares with assistance by Grace Capshaw
2023: The evolution of diversification of glia across invertebrates and vertebrates - organized by Carmen Falcone
2024: Mapping neurobiological diversity - organized by Daniel Miller & Kathrine Bryant
2025: Evolution of cortico-hippocampal circuitry in vertebrates - organized by Menno Witter, Daniel Reznik & Kari Hoffman