We are excited to host Thermomorphogenesis 2026 from 26 to 28 August 2026 at the University of Dundee! The meeting brings together scientists working on acclimation responses to (elevated) ambient temperatures and serves as a platform for presenting cutting-edge research – much of it unpublished – fostering discussion of recent advances and facilitating new collaborations. The scientific programme will cover a wide range of topics related to temperature-controlled plant biology, including (but not limited to):
- Developmental processes triggered by elevated ambient temperature
- Spatial and temporal aspects of temperature responses
- Interplay between thermomorphogenesis and heat stress responses
- Temperature sensing mechanisms in plants
- Signalling cascades in response to elevated temperature (including transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational regulation)
- Interactions between temperature-controlled development and metabolism
- Integration of temperature signals with other environmental cues
- Thermomorphogenesis in the context of climate adaptation
- Temperature responses in crop species
- Harnessing temperature signalling pathways to enhance crop resilience
Registration
As with previous instalments of this meeting, Thermomorphogenesis 2026 is completely free to attend. To gauge attendance and plan the programme accordingly, we ask you to register for the meeting by 31 May 2026 following this link. We are also offering two types of slots for presentations: full talks (15-20 minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of questions) and flash talks (5 minutes, no questions); the latter are particularly suited for researchers at the beginning of their (thermomorphogenesis) research journey, who do not yet have many data to present but still would like to showcase their project. We hope that we can give anyone who is keen to present the opportunity to do so, but this will depend on the number of attendees.
Travel Grants
We might be able to provide a very small number of travel grants for early career researchers; more information on this coming soon.
Map
Venue
The meeting will take place at the University of Dundee, which is located on the sunny east coast of Scotland, right on the banks of the River Tay. The exact venue is yet to be confirmed (pending implementation of next semester’s teaching schedule), but will either be within the University’s Life Sciences complex or the Dalhousie Building.
Accommodation
Dundee harbours a number of centrally located and affordable hotels within walking distance to the University. You can find a non-exhaustive list of budget-friendly hotels (2-3 stars) below:
- Best Western Queens Dundee Hotel
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton Dundee
- Hampton by Hilton Dundee City Centre
- Holiday Inn Express Dundee
- Premier Inn Dundee City Centre
- Travelodge Dundee Central
More high-end options (4 stars) are also available:
Conference dinner
We are planning to get together for a self-paid conference dinner on Thursday evening (27 August). Exact time and venue to be confirmed. Please indicate whether you are planning to join during the registration (decision can be amended at a later date if needed).
Getting to Dundee
From abroad: Edinburgh (EDI) or Glasgow (GLA) airports are your best options. From Edinburgh Airport, a short ride on the Edinburgh Tram gets you to Edinburgh Gateway train station, which provides direct train connections to Dundee (~75 minutes). Alternatively, you can take a FLY or Ember coach directly from Edinburgh Airport to Dundee (80-90 minutes). From Glasgow Airport, either catch the Airport Express 500 to Glasgow Queen Street train station, which offers train services to Dundee, or take a direct Flixbus coach (both journeys take approximately 2 hours).
From within the UK: Dundee Airport (DND) is an option for anyone travelling from London as Loganair offers direct flights from Heathrow. Alternatively, LNER offers direct train connections to Dundee Railway Station from London King’s Cross (via York and Newcastle) and Cross Country offers one direct service per day from Plymouth (via Exeter, Bristol, Sheffield and Leeds). Many more options are available with a single change.
Getting around: Dundee’s city centre is quite walkable. If required, local bus services are operated by Stagecoach East Scotland and Xplore Dundee; tickets can be purchased directly from the driver.
What to do in and around Dundee
More information coming soon!
Sponsors
We are grateful for financial support from our sponsors: The Company of Biologists, the Royal Society, the Society of Experimental Biology (SEB) and The Plant Journal.
Contact
If you have any questions about the conference not addressed above, please contact Martin directly at mbalcerowicz001@dundee.ac.uk.