Conferences & Events
John H. Blaffer Lecture Series
Each Tuesday from September through April, an internationally recognized scientist is invited to speak and present his or her latest results. Students have the opportunity to meet and interact with these distinguished scientists. Swathi Arur, Ph.D., is the chair and coordinator of the Blaffer Lecture Series.
The Fall 2026 Blaffer Lecture Series is an in-person opportunity. Please check the UT MD Anderson calendar for upcoming lectures.
For further information on a lecture, please contact Lisa M. Watson, series coordinator, at LMWatson@MDAnderson.org.
Tuesdays, 12–1 p.m.
Onstead Auditorium (BSRB S3.8012)
September through April
Fall 2026 Blaffer Schedule (In-Person)
September 22, 2026
Speaker: Ting Wang, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Genetics, WashU Medicine
Title of Talk: "Unmasked: Transposable Elements as Drivers and Targets in Cancer”
Host: Yejing Ge, Ph.D., Department of Cancer Biology
September 29, 2026
Speaker: David Feldser, Ph.D., Chair of the CAMB: Cancer Biology Program, Associate Investigator, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and Associate Professor, Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine
Title of Talk: "The Paradox of Cancer-Causing Mutations That Suppress Cancer”
Host: Aria Vaishnavi, Ph.D., Department of Genetics
October 6, 2026
Speaker: Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology, Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern
Title of Talk: To Be Announced
Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) 2026 Mary Beth Maddox Award Recipient
October 13, 2026
Speaker: Kimberley Tolias, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Title of Talk: “Synaptic Signaling in Memory and Chronic Pain-Related Disorders"
Host: Sadhan Majumder, Ph.D., Department of Genetics
October 20, 2026
Speaker: Peter Westcott, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Cancer Center Member, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Title of Talk: To Be Announced
Host: Rodrigo Romero, Ph.D., Department of Genetics
October 27, 2026
Speaker: Bonnie Firestein, Ph.D. , Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences; Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Endowed Chair, University of Kentucky College of Medicine; and Distinguished Professor Emerita, Rutgers University
Title of Talk: "The Guanine Deaminase, Cypin, as a Target for Recovery after CNS Injury"
Host: Sadhan Majumder, Ph.D., Department of Genetics
November 3, 2026
Speaker: Audrey P. Gasch, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics and Director of the Center for Genomic Science Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Title of Talk: “Molecular Determinants of Aneuploidy Stress and Premature Aging in Yeast and Human Cells”
Host: Marianna Trakala Ph.D., Department of Genetics
November 10, 2026
Speaker: Gaorav P. Gupta, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Chair for Research, Dept of Radiation Oncology, Co-Leader, Breast Cancer Program, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Associate Director, MD-PhD Program School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of Talk: To Be Announced
Host: Katharina Schlacher, Ph.D., Department of Cancer Biology
November 17, 2026
Speaker: Judith Agudo, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, PI Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Title of Talk: “Immune Evasion of Cancer Cells during the Metastatic Cascade"
Host: Jlenia Guarnerio, Ph.D., Department of Genetics
December 8, 2026
Speaker: Cornelia Weyand, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Program in Immunity and Inflammation, Professor of Medicine and Immunology, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Professor em. of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
Title of Talk: To Be Announced
Host: Katharina Schlacher Ph.D., Department of Cancer Biology
Research Exchange Series
Each week from September through May, this series alternates faculty from across the Texas Medical Center (TMC) with senior trainees from the Department of Genetics to discuss their research. This series highlights the breadth and depth of science in the TMC and provides an opportunity to establish collaborations across the numerous institutions in the TMC. It is also a forum for senior students and postdoctoral trainees to present their studies.
Jlenia Guarnerio, Ph.D., and Marianna Trakala., Ph.D., host this series.
For further information or access to a seminar, please contact Monique Richardson at MMRichardson1@MDAnderson.org.
Wednesdays, 12–1 p.m.
September through May
Fall 2026 Research Exchange Schedule (In-Person)
September 2, 2026
Kyle P. Eagen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine
September 9, 2026
Graham Scott Erwin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
September 16, 2026
Luigi Perelli, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology, UT MD Anderson
September 23, 2026
Jason M. Schenkel, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine, UT MD Anderson
September 30, 2026
Sudha Rajderkar, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Dentistry, UTHealth Houston
October 7, 2026
Jinfen Xiao, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson (Guarnerio Lab)
October 14, 2026
Leah Weber, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson (Van Loo Lab)
October 21, 2026
Ronald J. Parchem, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine
October 28, 2026
Vishnu Dileep, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
November 4, 2026
Zeyu Jin, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson (Yun Lab)
November 11, 2026
Susan M. Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
November 18, 2026
Hamed Jafar-Nejad, M.D.
Professor
Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine