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VEGA symposium logo
 

Register here 

Registration fees: 

Early Bird rates available now
General & Berkeley Lab Attendee – $250
Student – $200

Regular Rates (begin September 19, 2026)
General & Berkeley Lab Attendee – $300
Students & Postdocs – $250

 

Hosted by the DOE Joint Genome Institute, the 5th Viral EcoGenomics and Applications (VEGA) symposium will take place November 18-19, 2026 on the UC Berkeley campus. Organized every two years since 2018, the goal of this symposium is to bring together a “Viral Ecogenomics” community to foster discussion on how to best capture and characterize uncultivated viral diversity, understand the role of viruses in natural ecosystems, and functionally explore viral genetic diversity toward innovative biotechnological and industrial applications. 

Keynote Speakers

Dark-haired person in a lab coat in a laboratory setting.
Karen Maxwell  

University of Toronto

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Grieg Steward

University of Hawai`i at Manoa

Bearded person in glasses and white shirt against a brick background.
Joshua Weitz

University of Maryland

 

Thanks to our sponsors!
Logo for New England BiolabsZymo Research logo and tagline on a yellow background

Contact

Jasmine Bunn, JGI Administrative Support
TimeEventDetailsDescription

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 – Day 1

Session 1: Functional characterization of novel viral diversity

08:30–09:00 Welcome and RegistrationMLK Building, East Pauley Ballroom 
09:00–09:15 VEGA26 Overview Simon Roux & Jonelle Basso
09:15–09:55 Keynote: Grieg Steward  
09:55–10:10Selected talk #1 from abstracts  
10:10–10:30Break

Discussions continue

10:30–10:55

Invited Speaker: Karthik Anantharaman

 

 
10:55–12:00Panel discussion: “AI and other innovations to characterize new viral genetic diversity”
12:00–13:10 Working Lunch

Discussions continue

13:00–14:00

Poster viewing

14:00-14:15Selected talk #2 from abstracts  
14:15-14:30Selected talk #3 from abstracts  
14:30–16:00Breakout groups: “What resources are needed to help tackle the 'viral dark matter' question”
16:00–16:30 Break

Discussions continue

16:30–17:00

Breakout groups: report out

17:00

Poster session - MLK Building, Tilden room

Thursday, November 19, 2026 – Day 2

Session 2: Molecular mechanisms of virus-host interactions

Wednesday, November 5, 2025 – Day 2
08:30–09:00WelcomeMLK Building, East Pauley Ballroom 
09:00–09:40 Keynote: Karen Maxwell  
09:40–10:05Invited Speaker: Frédérique Le Roux  
10:05–10:20Selected talk #4 from abstracts  
10:20–11:05 Break 

Discussions continue

11:05–11:20Selected talk #5 from abstracts  
11:20–11:35Selected talk #6 from abstracts  
11:35–12:00Invited Speaker: Laurence Ettwiler  
12:00–13:00 Working Lunch

Discussions continue

13:00–13:30

Poster viewing

13:30–13:55Invited speaker: Kathryn Kauffman  
13:55–14:10Selected talk #7 from abstracts  
14:10–14:25Selected talk #8 from abstracts  
14:25–14:55 Break

Discussions continue

14:55–15:20 Invited Speaker: Michael Baym  
15:20–16:00Keynote: Joshua Weitz  

Speakers

Dark-haired person in a lab coat in a laboratory setting.

Karen Maxwell
(Keynote)
University of Toronto

Person in a gray plaid jacket and blue shirt against a dark background

Grieg Steward
(Keynote)
University of Hawai`i at Manoa

Bearded person in glasses and white shirt against a brick background.

Joshua Weitz
(Keynote)
University of Maryland

A smiling person in a checkered shirt.

Karthik Anantharaman
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Person in dark shirt and hoodie against a gray background.

Michael Baym
Harvard Medical School 

Person in black and white printed scarf.

Laurence Ettwiller
New England Biolabs

Black and white image of person in sleeveless top standing outdoors.

Kathryn Kauffman
University at Buffalo

Person in lab wearing shirt with upturned collar and bright red glasses.

Frédérique Le Roux
Université de Montréal