NeuroNurture: Brighton area BNA Local Group turn their community vision towards imaging
The neuroscience research environment around Brighton is rich. Much of the teaching and research takes place across the University of Sussex, the University of Brighton, and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), and the Brighton area BNA Local Group helps students and researchers to connect with each other in a dynamic environment outside the formal structures of their own institutions, departments, or curricula. One of the ways that it does this is through driving community initiatives to connect up the community, for example the University of Sussex’s Neuroscience Society (NeuroSoc) annual area-wide mini-conference – this year entitled “NeuroNurture: Neuroimaging for Society” – which took place on 18th February 2026.
With a focus on the impact of neuroimaging research on society, this year’s conference provided a valuable opportunity for attendees from across the breadth of the BNA Local Group to learn from and interact with prominent researchers. The theme was chosen to increase awareness of the impact of neuroimaging research in tackling several diagnostic and therapeutic challenges faced in neurological disorders. Modern medicine was built on the strong foundation of simple observation, and advances in neuroimaging techniques have guided a greater understanding of neurological disorders, facilitating the development of life-saving therapeutics.
The mini-conference consisted of research presentations from the neuroimaging experts, as well as a mid-day poster session which allowed undergraduate and postgraduate students to showcase their own research to the more senior researchers in attendance during a networking lunch, get critical feedback, and develop career connections. With the aim of increasing accessibility, the conference was free to attend and open to any undergraduate or other interested party within the BNA Local Group. There was also a BNA stall where attendees could learn more about BNA activities and the advantages of membership, particularly for students; over 20 students indicated that they would like to join.
Speakers included Dr Iris Asllani, Associate Professor at the Clinical Imaging Sciences Centre at BSMS, who gave a talk on the evolving role of MRI and fMRI in neuroscience and how advances in imaging methods shape what questions we can ask and how we interpret what we see. In her capacity as the Vice President of the Consortium for Advancement of MRI Education and Research in Africa (CAMERA), she also highlighted her efforts to expand MRI training and research globally, with a particular focus on initiatives in Africa and the growing potential of low-field MRI to broaden access to neuroimaging. Attendees also heard from Professor Hugo Critchley, on the neuroimaging of heart-brain-mind interactions. He offered his personal reflection from 30+ years in the field, on how neuroimaging has enhanced our understanding of the brain and how psychological and physiological challenges compromise physical and mental health. In contrast Aiden Blay, a Sussex alumnus and a research assistant in the Drosophila Connectomics Group at the University of Cambridge, gave insight on neuroimaging at the level of single cells using model organisms. His talk introduced the audience to his group’s efforts to construct the whole-brain connectome of the adult Aedes aegypti mosquito, with synaptic resolution, to aid disease modification of mosquito-borne illnesses.
The day ended with a vote of thanks by the NeuroSoc co-presidents, followed by a prize-distribution for the poster presentation. This event was the second of its kind in the area, followed by the successful “NeuroNurture: Promoting brain health through science” mini-conference in 2025. Feedback obtained during and after the event emphasised undergraduate students' interest in accessible academic conferences and research talks, an interest we plan to build into the next projects that the Brighton area BNA Local Group undertakes. In collaboration with the Local Group, NeuroSoc aims to continue this annual tradition of hosting mini-conferences, both to increase community connectedness and to create career development opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.
Attendees listen attentively to a presentation at the 2026 NeuroNurture mini-conference
If you could change one thing about neuroscience in your local area, what would it be? Do your peers and others across the different institutions in your area feel similarly? By joining your BNA Local Group and working with your Local Group Representatives to devise a strategy and secure project funding, together you can drive local change, and take collective ownership over the future of neuroscience where you are.
