Receptor Kinase Signaling: Fueling Plant Resilience and Development (N1)
May 2-5, 2027  | Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Alice Y. Cheung, Libo Shan and Pamela C Ronald
Scholarship Deadline: Jan. 6, 2027 | Abstract Deadline: Apr. 13, 2027 | Early Registration Deadline: Mar. 4, 2027
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of June 5, 2026 11 PM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Sunday, May 2, 2027
4:00–8:00 PM Registration
6:00–8:00 PM Welcome Mixer
Monday, May 3, 2027
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast
8:00–8:10 AM Welcome Remarks
8:10–9:00 AM Keynote Address
  Pamela C Ronald, University of California, Davis
Sulfated Peptide/RK Mediated Resistance to Infection and Promotion of Growth
 
9:00–11:15 AM Receptor Kinase Signaling for Growth and Development
  Eugenia Russinova, University of Ghent
Receptor Kinase Endocytosis and Transport in Cell Growth
 
  Lijia Qu, Peking University
Receptor Kinase in Reproduction and Fertilization
 
  Alice Y. Cheung, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Orchestrating Receptor Kinase Signaling of Intertwining Pathways at the Cell Wall-Plasma Membrane Interface
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:30–9:50 AM Coffee Break
11:15–12:15 PM Panel Discussion 1: Fellowships, Funding, and Publishing Strategies
11:15–1:00 PM Poster Setup
11:15–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 1: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–7:00 PM Signaling for Stress Acclimation and Resilience from Model to Crop Plants
  Yoshikatsu Matsubayashi, Nagoya University
Peptide Hormone-Receptor Kinase Signaling
 
  Van Schepler-Luu, International Rice Research Institute
Plant and Microbe Engineering for Sustainability
 
  Jian-Min Zhou, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Translate Receptor Kinase Signaling into Crop Resilience
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner
7:30–10:00 PM Posters
Tuesday, May 4, 2027
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast
8:00–11:00 AM Receptor Kinase Signaling in Immunity, Cell Death, and Symbiosis
  Cyril Zipfel, University of Zurich
Receptor Kinases in Pathogen Pattern Perception and Signaling
 
  Ellen Y Rim, Stanford University
Directed Evolution of Plant Receptors for Enhanced Immunity
 
  Elizabeth P.B. Fontes, Universidade Federal de Viçosa
NIK1 Receptor Kinase: A Signaling Hub in Immunity and Growth Regulation Under Stress
 
  Simona Radutoiu, Aarhus University
LysM Receptors Controlling Symbiotic and Immune Signaling in Plants
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break
11:00–1:00 PM Poster Setup
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing
3:00–4:30 PM Career Roundtable
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–7:00 PM Receptor Kinase Evolution and Divergence
  Thorsten Nürnberger, University of Tübingen
Receptor Kinase Evolution
 
  Adam D. Steinbrenner, University of Washington
Receptor Kinase Divergence and Evolution
 
  Libo Shan, University of Michigan
DAMP-Receptor Kinase Co-Evolution
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner
7:30–10:00 PM Posters
Wednesday, May 5, 2027
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast
8:00–11:00 AM Receptor Kinase Signaling Specificity and Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs)
  Keiko U. Torii, University of Texas at Austin
Receptor Kinase Signaling Specificity in Cell Patterning and Immunity
 
  Niko Geldner, University of Lausanne
Cell-Type Specificity of RK Signaling
 
  Gitta L. Coaker, University of California, Davis
Tuning Receptor Kinase Specificity to Counter Pathogen Diversity
 
  Maria Florencia Ercoli, University of California, Riverside
PSY-Mediated Peptide Signaling in Rice Development
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break
11:00–12:00 PM Panel Discussion 2: Structural & AI/ML-Driven Research in Signaling Networks
  Julia Santiago, University of Lausanne
 
  Ellen Y Rim, Stanford University
 
11:00–5:00 PM On Own for Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 2: New Frontiers in Receptor Kinase Function, Tool Mining and Engineering
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available
5:00–6:45 PM Emerging Topics and Technical Advances
  Julia Santiago, University of Lausanne
Studies at the Structural Frontier of Receptor Kinases
 
  Tatsuya Nobori, The Sainsbury Laboratory
Single-Cell and Spatial Dissection of Plant-Microbe Interactions
 
  Ken Shirasu †, RIKEN
Talk Title to be Announced
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
6:45–7:00 PM Meeting Wrap-Up (organizers): Outcomes and Future Directions
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner
8:00–11:00 PM Entertainment
8:00–11:00 PM Cash Bar
Thursday, May 6, 2027
12:00–11:59 PM Departure