last updated 15. December 2025

2026 Annual Research Day

The School of Graduate Studies will hold the centerwide Annual Research Day on Wednesday, March 18^th, 2026. Registration occurs online only. The registration form will be live from February 9^th to February 26^th 2026 and is accessed by clicking here. The registration form can be previewed here.

The day consists of poster sessions, a platform session for graduate students and the Annual Research Day Dinner.

The 2026 annual Graduate Day keynote lecture, entitled "Unraveling the mysteries of germline and somatic noncoding variants influencing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)" will be presented on March 18^th at 4pm in the Alumni Auditorium. The keynote speaker Dr. Laufey Amundadottir is a cancer genomicist and Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Translational Genomics at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. She is also a co-Leader of the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium (PanScan). Dr. Amundadottir has been recognized for her research contributions at the National Cancer Institute with several Intramural Research Awards, a Center of Excellence in Integrative Cancer Biology and Genomics (CEICBG) Award, and she received the NCI’s Women Scientist Advisors (WSA) Mentoring and Leadership Award in 2019.

Dr. Laufey Amundadottir, cancer genomicist and Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Translational Genomics within the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health

Participation in Annual Research is mandatory for PhD students in the School of Graduate Studies past their second year, and for MD-PhD students past their 1st year in their PhD training. Graduate students more junior than either described category are encouraged to participate.

Only students in the School of Graduate Studies are eligible to compete for awards or present at the platform session, but other entities on the campus may use the Research Day mechanisms present their research findings, and to score and award prizes to their students or employees at the poster sessions.

Participation is encouraged for SUNY Downstate College of Medicine students, Public Health students, College of Nursing students, School of Health Professions students, post-doctoral fellows, graduate medical fellows, residents and undergraduates who are associated with SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University faculty members.

Annual Research Day provides an excellent occasion for the entire Downstate community to share the results of their research efforts. Any research is welcome and these research areas are typically represented:

Molecular & Cellular Biology
Neural & Behavioral Science
Biomedical Engineering
Clinical Research
Case Reports
Public Health
Translational Research
Social Research
Quality Improvement

For the poster sessions, the size of the posters is not larger than 60" wide x 40" top to bottom. Each registrant is responsible for producing their own poster and can find more guidance by clicking here or scrolling below. Each participant is allowed a maximum of submitting two (2) posters for consideration. In rare cases, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will allow the display of a second non-competitive poster, but this must be prearranged via Dr. Justine Lottermoser justine.lottermoser@downstate.edu

The schedule for 2026 is below:

Time	Event	Area
9:30am – 10:55am	Poster session A	PHAB A, B, C & D
11:00am – 12:25pm	Poster session B	PHAB A, B, C & D
11:00am – 1:30pm concurrent with Poster Sessions A/B/C	School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Oral Platform Presentations. Each presentation is 10min with 5min Q&A	PHAB 2E
12:30pm – 1:55pm	Poster session C	PHAB A, B, C & D
2:00pm – 3:45pm	Poster session D - All SGS students this session; 2:30pm start for SGS students	PHAB A, B, C & D
4:00pm – 5:30pm	Annual Graduate Day Lecture	Alumni Auditorium, EB
6:00 pm	Annual Research Day Dinner Reservation Form	Taci’s Beyti Turkish Restaurant, 1953 Coney Island Avenue.

SGS awards a limited number of prizes and travel fellowships to its students for the best presentations, as determined by judges. The Joe Ma and Sophie Su prizes will be awarded for two platform session presentations and one poster presentation. Additionally, poster session prizes are awarded to Graduate Studies presentations by the School of Graduate Studies.

We look forward to all presentations of Downstate's science.

Poster Printing Information

We understand that for many Annual Research Day participants, it is their first time participating in a research symposium and presenting a poster. Please read this section carefully to avoid last-minute headaches. We have made this Poster Printing Information section to help poster presenters understand the involved logistics and printing options available.

What is the MAX. SIZE for posters?

The poster board size dictates the maximum size of printed posters, which is a max. 40" top to bottom x 60" wide . Poster templates for some sizes are available.

What has the TYPICAL COST been for poster printing?

Please discuss payment with your research mentor. Typically, labs or departments will pay the cost of printing. In 2025 the Downstate in-house rate was $100 for 48"x36". For your convenience we have listed more affordable external printing options below.

The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is unable to assist with printing costs (including SGS students and Postdocs).

Dr. Justine Lottermoser has no control over in-house or external printing. Please direct questions about pricing, payment, and timeline to your printer of choice.

How can I ensure my poster is PRINTED ON TIME for Annual Research Day?

Same-day or next day printing is hard to find and costly. Please plan your printing accordingly.

Discuss your poster design with your research mentor well in advance (i.e. 3 months before Annual Research Day). Finalize your design at least 1 (one) week before any printing deadline. Your printing deadline will depend on which option you select for printing your poster (in-house vs. external printing).

Is there a DOWNSTATE PRINTER for posters?

Downstate in-house printing. If you opt to print your poster in-house with the SUNY Downstate Office of New Media Services for the 2026 Annual Research Day, you will need to submit your poster by 5:00pm EST on March 6^th 2026. Unfortunately, late submissions cannot be accommodated. The printing portal will be closed from March 7th-19th for processing.

Submit your poster for in-house printing via the "Request a Research Poster" link on the general research posters page.

The Downstate in-house rate in 2025 was $100 for 48"x36". For your convenience we have listed more affordable external printing options below.
Poster templates are available. The standard size of 48" x 36" is preferred for ease of printing, but any of the templates is fine

For more information and questions about pricing, see the general poster info webpage

What are some EXTERNAL PRINTING options?

External printing alternatives. Please be aware that external printers will also have varying turnaround times. Same-day or next day printing is hard to find and costly. Please plan your printing accordingly.

You will have to inquire what their printing time-line is:

- PhDposters
- posternerd (about $40 for 36"x48")
- megaprint
- FedEx
- Kinkos

How can I PRINT UNDER $10?

Low-budget printing option: Using a regular printer, print out your poster pdf file on Letter sized paper via the tile option in Adobe. Click here for guidance

School Graduate Studies Students, please check with your mentors whether they can help with covering printing costs. In the research community it reflects poorly on a mentor, if they do not provide trainees with the resources to have a proper poster.

Will push pins/ thumbtacks and velcro be available day-of Annual Research Day?

Yes, we will have pins and velcro for you on the Annual Research Day to attach your posters to our boards.

Registration (Live Feb 9-26)

Important Poster FAQs

2026 Schedule

Dinner Reservation Form