Join us for our next Brown Bag Seminar this Wednesday, February 18th at 12pm PT. Serine Chang, Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley, jointly appointed in EECS and Computational Precision Health and part of the Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Lab, will present, “Simulating Population Behaviors and Public Opinions with Generative AI.” The event will take place in Room 310 in the Social Sciences Building and will also be available via Zoom. See the full event details here. Our YouTube channel is here. Visit our Brown Bag event page for both past and upcoming talks here.

See further announcements and opportunities below.

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EVENTS 

February 17 | 12:10-1pm | UC Berkeley School of Public Health | Sonia Hart Suarez (UC Berkeley) is director and coordinator for the Decolonizing Health Knowledge Project. “Decolonizing Health Knowledge and Practice.” Online for Zoom here. Event details are here.

February 18 | 2-3:30pm | Sociology Department Colloquium Series | Celene Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington. “Unlawful Advances: How Feminists Transformed Title IX.”  402 Social Sciences Building. Zoom link here; Meeting ID: 912 1296 2018.

February 18 | 12-1:05pm |  UC Berkeley Demography Seminar Series | Serine Chang, Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley, jointly appointed in EECS and Computational Precision Health and part of the Berkeley AI Research (BAIR) Lab, will present, “Simulating Population Behaviors and Public Opinions with Generative AI.” 310 Social Sciences Building. Zoom ID: 985 2901 0198. Passcode DEMOG_BB

FUNDING

Reimagining Refuge Seed Grants. Reimagining Refuge: California for Just Migrant Futures brings scholars from the University of California together with artists, community organizations, and migrants across California and the US-Mexico border to advance more just futures for migrants and asylum seekers. The deadline to apply is March 10, 2026.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Seed Climate Change and Human Health Seed Grant. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund aims to stimulate the growth of new connections between thinkers working in largely disconnected fields, who, together, may change the course of climate change’s impact on human health. Between Fall 2023 and Summer 2026, we will dedicate $1 million to supporting small, early-stage grants of $2,500–$50,000 toward achieving this goal. We are primarily, but not exclusively, interested in activities that build connections between basic and early biomedical scientific approaches and ecological, environmental, geological, geographic, and planetary-scale thinking, as well as with population-focused fields, including epidemiology and public health, demography, economics, and urban planning. Also of interest is work piloting new approaches or interactions aimed at reducing the impact of health-centered activities, such as developing more sustainable systems for healthcare, care delivery, and biomedical research. The deadline to apply is April 23, 2026. Learn more and apply.

Huo Family Foundation Funding Opportunity: Effects of Digital Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviours, and Mental Health in Children and Young People. HFF aims to support innovative research that advances understanding of how digital technologies shape the brain, mind, and behaviour of children, adolescents, and young adults, including work that strengthens existing methods or develops new approaches to address the complexity of this rapidly evolving field. We welcome applications from UK- and US-based researchers for the following award schemes:

1.       Huo Early-career Fellowships – up to three years; up to £130k / $175.5k per annum – to support talented postdoctoral researchers on the path to independence. Applicants are typically within four years of completing their PhD and do not yet hold a first permanent position. Fellows must have a sponsor with a permanent position at the host institution. Find out more about applying for this grant.

2.       Junior Faculty Research Grants – up to three years; up to £170k / $229.5k per annum – to support focused research projects led by new lecturers or assistant professors who have typically taken up their first permanent or tenure-track position within the last four years. Find out more about applying for this grant.

Applications should be submitted via our online grant system by 1 May 2026 and will then be peer-reviewed and shortlisted proposals considered by a funding committee of external experts. Funding decisions will be issued in November 2026, with the first annual grant payment in December 2026 for research activity to begin in early 2027. A detailed timeline and other information, including eligibility criteria and guidance, are available on the HFF website.

Network on Education, Biosocial Pathways, and Dementia Pilot Grants 

• Proposals Due: February 20, 2026
• Focus: advance science in the education—dementia relationship in 1 of 3 critical areas (or across areas):
  • 1: Early life factors and the education—dementia relationship
  • 2: Mid-life socioeconomic, social, and psychological mediators of education and dementia
  • 3: Biological mechanisms linking education to dementia
• Learn more

MiCDA Research Fellow Proposals Due: March 2, 2026

• The Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging (MiCDA) invites early career faculty to submit proposals for innovative pilot research related to the demography of aging
• For full details and submission instructions, visit MiCDA’s programs page

USC AD/ADRD RCMAR Pilot Grant Program 

• LOI and CV Due: February 27, 2026
• Early-career scholars at USC and non-USC institutions, including postdoctoral researchers, tenure-track faculty, and research-track faculty
• Focus: studies examining how social, behavioral, economic, policies, and health systems explain differences in risk of AD/ADRD and health, healthcare, and economic outcomes of persons living with dementia
• Learn more

RCCN Workshop Travel Awards for Early Career Investigators | May 20-21, 2026 | Bethesda, MD

• Applications Due: February 27, 2026
• Topic: “Multidisciplinary Research in Aging/Team Science”
• Travel awards available for approximately 10 early career investigators or investigators in training and cover travel, meals, and hotel accommodations
• Eligibility: Advanced doctoral students (completed all requirements except dissertation), postdoctoral fellows, or early stage investigators affiliated with an institution with at least one NIA Sponsored Center (e.g., AITC, Shock, Roybal, RCMAR, OAIC/Pepper, ADRC, or CDEA)
• Learn more or apply.
  • Contact Sabrina Isaacs with questions

HEADS Center Pilot Grants

• Full Proposal Deadline: March 13, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT
• Themes: (1) Identifying and quantifying the range of ADRD care needs and related economic consequences; (2) Examining how the organization and financing of services and technology affect accessibility, affordability, and quality of ADRD care
• Recipients will be eligible for the Emerging Scholars program, which provides additional mentoring support, peer mentoring and community building opportunities, and grant preparation activities
• Learn more and apply

Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging (INRPHA)

• Proposal Due Date: April 10, 2026
• Funded by the National Institute on Aging
• Invites investigators to submit proposals for pilot research that enhances understanding of the multilevel and multidimensional drivers of rural health and aging trends and disparities
• Investigators may request up to $35,000
• Access the RFP

Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center Pilot Projects

• Proposal Due Date: April 13, 2026
• The Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center  (GECC) is seeking pilot projects that advance research on environmental exposures over the life course — the “exposome” — that affect Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) risk, resilience, and disparities
• GECC’s pilot project webpage for more information

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS

Pacific Conference for Development Economics (PacDev).  The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)‘s annual Pacific Conference for Development Economics (PacDev) is the West Coast’s largest annual conference on development. The event brings together researchers and practitioners to present and discuss work that enhances our understanding of economic development, advances theoretical and empirical methods, and improves development interventions and policy. PacDev 2026 will be hosted by the University of California, Davis on Saturday, March 14th. Registration ends February 28th and discounted hotel rates are available when registering. Register here.

March 1st Deadline for Social Science Historical Association (SSHA) 2026 Proposals. The Call for Proposals for the 2026 SSHA in Atlanta, November 19-22, will close on March 1st. To ensure full consideration, please submit by that date. Remember, members of SSHA receive a steep discount on the conference registration prices, and this year’s early bird price is lower than last year.  Our 2026 conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia from November 19-22, 2026 at the Atlanta Hilton Hotel. This year’s theme is “Decentering Modernity.” The Call for Papers and conference submission system is now open. Learn more and submit.

Current Innovations in Probability-Based Household Internet Panel Research (CIPHER) Conference. The University of Southern California’s Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research will host the eighth conference on Current Innovations in Probability-Based Household Internet Panel Research (CIPHER). The hybrid conference will take place February 25 – 27, 2026 in Washington, DC, at the USC Capital Campus. The first day will include a data users workshop for the Understanding America Study. To attend either in-person or online please register here.

The Methodology Center at Purdue is now accepting applications for the Summer Institute on Longitudinal Data Analysis. The Summer Institute will be held July 12–17, 2026, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. This intensive week-long program offers in-depth training on publicly available longitudinal data sources and advanced longitudinal data analysis techniques. Applicants should have a strong background in quantitative methods but a need for additional training in longitudinal data analysis. Applications welcome from graduate students, post-docs, faculty, industry researchers, nonprofit and public sector workers, and more. Scholarships are available that cover the full cost of tuition, travel to Purdue, housing, and food costs. Interested in applying? Read more about the Summer Institute on the website, including a list of topics covered and details on our scholarships. The deadline to submit applications is March 15.