Sunposium 2023: International Neuroscience Researchers Converge in South Florida March 6-8

February 14, 2023

Row of seated scientists. Two men, then a woman, then another man. All concentrating on a speaker session. Woman has hand on her chin, deep in thought.

From March 6-8, 2023, West Palm Beach became the epicenter of global neuroscience at the biennial Sunposium conference, presented by the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI).

Hosted at Palm Beach County Convention Center, Sunposium brought together more than 400 world-renowned researchers from around the globe to share the latest advances and research in neural circuits—which underly neurological diseases that interfere with sensory processing and memory.

Sunposium encourages a collaborative, problem-solving approach to some of the most pressing questions in neuroscience. This year’s lectures, workshops and presentations highlighted scientific data that could lead to significant shifts in clinical approaches for complex brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and autism.

Each biennial Sunposium event drives substantial local commerce to West Palm Beach and the greater Palm Beaches. Neuroscientists from around the world occupy hundreds of hotel rooms, visit dining establishments and enjoy tourist attractions during the weeks leading up to and following the three-day conference.

The 2023 event brought a total economic benefit of $361,296 to the area. With direct spending reaching over $240,000. The impact study conducted by Discover the Palm Beaches (DTPB) shows the event generated $14,858 in direct local tax revenue and supported 116 jobs over the course of the event. Industries that experienced the largest boost in revenue included:

Lodging: $151,146
Food & Beverage: $48,505
Transportation: $15,187
Retail: $11,801
Recreation: $9,486

Keynote Speaker Michael Yartsev: A World Leader in Behavioral Neuroscience

Among the highlights of Sunposium was the keynote address from Dr. Michael Yartsev, associate professor and principal investigator in the Department of Bioengineering and Hellen Wills Neuroscience Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Yartsev received the prestigious 2022 Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award. The award is given biennially to recognize a young neuroscience investigator for significant contributions to science through collaboration, creativity and curiosity-driven research. Dr. Yartsev was hailed as “one of the world’s leaders in the neuroscience of behavior” by Nobel Laureate Edvard Moser, who named him for the award. Dr. Yartsev studies the neural mechanisms of complex spatial, social and acoustic functions in bats, leveraging what he calls “the beauty of natural behaviors.”

For more information or to schedule an interview: Contact Katie Edwards, MPFI Head of Public Affairs, at katie.edwards@mpfi.org or 561-679-7395.

Two men, then a woman, then another man stand in a line with their arms around each other. There is an award on the small podium in front of them. The second man from the left, Dr. Yartsev, will receive this award. — Dr. Yartsev receives the prestigious 2022 Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award at Sunposium 2023.

About the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience

The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), a not-for-profit research organization, is part of the world-renowned Max Planck Society, Germany’s most successful research organization with over 80 institutes worldwide. Since its establishment, 30 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists including five in the last three years alone.

As its first U.S. institution, MPFI provides exceptional neuroscientists from around the world with the resources and technology to answer fundamental questions about brain development and function. MPFI researchers employ a curiosity-driven approach to science to develop new technologies that make groundbreaking scientific discoveries possible. For more information, visit mpfi.org.