Regional Young Investigators’ Meet (RYIM) is a flagship initiative of IndiaBioscience and was launched in 2018 to strengthen local networks of scientists and science professionals with an aim to promote regional collaborations and change. RYIMs are intended to be Young Investigator (YI) driven endeavours that promote networking in local scientific communities and foster collaborative leadership among YIs in the region.

The Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) Tirupati (2026) will be held at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati, as a multi-institutional effort, in collaboration with CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and Krea University, Sricity. The RYIM Tirupati will be conducted on 29 – 31 January 2026, with the ​‘Crafting Your Career’ (CYC) workshop for PhD students and Postdoctoral Fellows on 29 January, 2026.

This RYIM aims to highlight the growing fields of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Science in the smaller-tier towns and cities across India, particularly in the southern region of the country. Over the last 15 years, and particularly in the last decade, several governmental educational institutions and private universities have hired ecology faculty, giving rise to the establishment of ecology, evolution, behaviour, and conservation-focused research groups across the country. A quick estimate across institutions reveals that over 50 faculty, mostly YIs have recently established research or teaching programs rooted in the ecological sciences. This is a much-welcome move for the field, especially given that ecological research is growing more relevant in both the social and scientific contexts in India. 

While there is increasing opportunity in the field today, there are several challenges faced by investigators at these institutions, most of which stem from the small cohort sizes and the typically remote geographic locations of institutions. These include increased administrative and teaching loads and lower visibility within the domain at a national/​international scale. 

This three-day RYIM will bring together investigators from across institutions to facilitate robust discussions, collaborative problem-solving, and the development of synergistic partnerships. By bringing together younger investigators alongside representatives from funding agencies, senior administrators, and experienced mentors, we will create a dynamic forum for meaningful exchange. The meeting will feature keynote presentations, interactive panel discussions, poster presentations, and dedicated networking sessions to foster substantive dialogue and lasting professional connections among participants.

In addition, the Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop, scheduled for 29 January 2026, will provide the young researchers with the requisite knowledge, tools, and techniques to equip and empower them to navigate and craft their career paths. 

Meeting focus areas

• Promoting discussions on ecological research, biodiversity monitoring, and conservation strategies in southern India.

• Encouraging cross-disciplinary approaches to address ecological, evolutionary, and environmental challenges

• Facilitating interactions between Young Investigators (YIs) in and around the Tirupati region

• Strengthening the inter-institutional collaborations among research organisations and universities

• Navigating through challenges faced by early-career researchers

• Panel discussions to identify the common interest areas and overcome the hurdles

• Showcasing the faculty and young investigator-initiated research

Meeting format

• Keynote talks

• Mentor talks

• Plenary talks

• Panel discussions

• Interactive sessions

• Special talks

• Poster sessions

Meeting workshop

• An IndiaBioscience-led Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop

Applications for participation are invited from students, research scholars, young faculty members/​scientists, senior faculty members/​scientists from research institutes/​organisations, departments and centres of universities, colleges and private research organisations, including NGOs, and those actively involved in ecology, evolution, behaviour and conservation science. 

Registration is open in the categories as follows:

• Research scholars/​students:​PhD students in their fourth year or above 

• Postdoctoral fellows

• Young researchers/​Faculty members: Young Investigators (preferably within eight years of joining the current position), scientists from research institutes and organisations, faculty members of colleges, universities, institutions, faculty fellows, independent investigators, early career researchers (Ramalingaswami fellows, DBT/WT India Alliance fellows, Ramanujan Fellows, DST-Inspire, Ramanujan fellows, IYBA awardees, WOS scientists)

• Senior researchers/​Faculty members & NGO representatives: Group leaders, senior scientists from research institutes and organisations, senior faculty members of colleges, universities, research and grants managers, science communicators, and NGO members or representatives

Please note that it is not necessary to be a YIM alumnus to participate in this meeting, and there is no age limit for registration. Seats are limited, so please hurry up.

Registration fees (Early Bird registration)

• Research Scholars

  • (For Institutes in Tirupati) — INR 2500/- 

  • (For Institutes outside of Tirupati) — INR 3500/-

• Postdocs

  • (For Institutes in Tirupati) — INR 3500/- 

  • (For Institutes outside of Tirupati) — INR 4500/-

• Young Investigator/​Faculty (less than or equal to eight years of experience)

  • (For Institutes in Tirupati) — INR 6000/- 

  • (For Institutes outside of Tirupati) — INR 7500/-

• Senior Faculty (more than eight years of experience)

  • (For Institutes in Tirupati) — INR 7500/- 

  • (For Institutes outside of Tirupati) — INR 8500/-

Registration beyond Early Registrations will incur additional charges of INR 1000 in all categories.

Registration fees cover accommodation for two nights and two days, as well as meals for two days. Accommodation is not covered/​included for participants who are from Tirupati. The registrationdoes not cover travel expenses or any additional costs (such as local travel, meals, or accommodation outside the conference dates). Further details will be provided through the Registration Form.

Registration fee payment details

Beneficiary name: Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati

Bank name: State Bank of India

Branch name: IIT Campus Branch Tirupati

Account No.: 35029946671

IFS Code: SBIN0064604

MICR: 517002012

SWIFT Code: SBININBB324

Participants need to provide an online transaction ID/​number in the registration form. Therefore, participants are requested to fill out the Registration form after payment of registration fees.

Important Dates

- Early-bird Registration: 31 December 2025

- Registration Deadline: 19 January 2026

- Notification of selection for lightning talks/​poster presentations: 20 January 2026

- Notification of Selection for CYC workshop (by email): 19 January 2026

- Notification of Selection for Childcare Grant (by email): 19 January 2026

Abstract submission

Participants are encouraged to submit the​“Title and Structured Abstract (Objectives, Methodology, Findings, and Conclusions)” for Poster presentations in RYIM Tirupati. The​“Title and Abstract” are to be submitted through the Registration form.

The Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop by IndiaBioscience

The CYC workshop for selected candidates will be held from 2:00 PM onwards on 29 January, 2026 in Lecture Hall Complex, IISER Tirupati. 

CYC workshop is specifically designed for PhD students and Post Doctoral Fellows. 

There is no separate registration fee to attend the CYC workshop. However, it is mandatory for the participants to convey their interest through the Registration form.

The participants shortlisted for the CYC workshop will be notified by email on 19 January 2026.

CYC workshop trainers: Moumita Mazumdar and Sreshtha Mondal, IndiaBioscience

If you are interested in attending the CYC workshop, please indicate this in the registration form for the meeting. Participants will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. IndiaBioscience will aim to include as many participants as possible.

More information on CYC can be found here.

All IndiaBioscience Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences are subject to a Conference Code of Conduct.

IndiaBioscience is dedicated to providing an inclusive and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, caste, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues (virtual or physical) and event-related social events.

Speakers and Presenters: Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for the event venue, including talks and posters. Sexist, racist or exclusionary jokes are not acceptable.

Participants: Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, caste, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Sponsors: Sponsors are also subject to the anti-harassment policy.

Virtual events: Attendees, Speakers, Trainers and Event Organisers are required to keep all e communications — emails, online presentations, webinar chat/Q&A sessions etc — professional and respectful. As with the physical events, at online seminars/​workshops/​courses and associated correspondence, sexual language/​imagery and harassment are not appropriate and will not be tolerated.

Action: Attendees asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If an attendee engages in behaviour that violates this code of conduct, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, expelling him or her from the premises with no refund or expelling them from the virtual event (i.e. webinar, workshop, course etc).

Conference staff members are there to help participants contact appropriate authorities, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.

Contact: If you are harassed, have noticed that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact: ryim@​indiabioscience.​org

License: This Conference Code of Conduct was modified from the Code of Conduct for JSFOO 2014 and Code of Conduct for YIM 2015, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, and the Geek Feminism Wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and volunteers, available under a Creative Commons Zero license.

The Conference Code of Conduct for IndiaBioscience events is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.