The Yale Undergraduate Research Conference (YURC) is the nation’s largest and most prestigious student-run research conference, bringing together hundreds of undergraduates from around the world to Yale University. Participants present original research spanning the full spectrum of academic disciplines, from science and engineering to the social sciences and humanities.

Dr. James E. Rothman is the Sterling Professor of Cell Biology at Yale School of Medicine and a Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine (2013). A pioneer in the field of membrane trafficking, his groundbreaking research uncovered the molecular machinery that governs vesicle transport within cells, a process essential to neurotransmission, hormone release, and immune function. Dr. Rothman’s work has transformed modern cell biology and biochemistry, earning him numerous honors including the Lasker Award, the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, and election to the National Academy of Sciences. In addition to his scientific contributions, he has held leadership roles at Columbia, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Yale, shaping the future of biomedical research across institutions.

Dr. Elijah Anderson is the Sterling Professor of Sociology and of Black Studies at Yale University and a Stockholm Prize Laureate in Criminology—the field’s most prestigious honor. His scholarship, spanning landmark works like Code of the Street, The Cosmopolitan Canopy, and Black in White Space, has reshaped how we understand race, public space, inequality, and urban life. A recipient of multiple American Sociological Association honors, he is also a former Vice President of the ASA, and has advised major public institutions including the White House, U.S. Congress, NSF, and the National Academies.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Dr. Joy Hirsch is a Professor of Psychiatry, Comparative Medicine, and Neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine and the Director of Yale’s Brain Function Laboratory and faculty of the Wu Tsai Institute. Internationally recognized for her pioneering use of functional brain imaging to study human social interactions, she has developed innovative methods to map brain activity during live, face-to-face communication. Her research has advanced understanding of language, empathy, decision-making, and the neural mechanisms of disorders such as autism and psychopathy. Dr. Hirsch’s work bridges neuroscience, psychology, and clinical research, and her lab has been at the forefront of developing new technologies, including near-infrared spectroscopy, to study the social brain in real-world contexts.

Daniel Markovits is the Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Private Law. He publishes widely across law, philosophy, and economics, with work appearing in venues ranging from The Yale Law Journal and The American Economic Review to Science, PNAS, and major public outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. His acclaimed book, The Meritocracy Trap (2019), offers a powerful critique of American meritocracy and its role in driving inequality and social dysfunction, and in 2021 Prospect Magazine named him one of the world’s top 50 thinkers.

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CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

SATURDAY 2.21

LATE REGISTRATION -> 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
1 Prospect St, New Haven CT (Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall)

OPENING CEREMONIES/OPENING KEYNOTE -> 9:00 AM
1 Prospect St, New Haven CT (Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall)

WORKSHOPS -> 11:30 PM - 2:30 PM
100 Wall St, New Haven CT (William L. Harkness Hall)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER -> 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
1 Prospect St, New Haven CT (Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall)

FLASH TALKS/DINNER -> 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
100 Wall St, New Haven CT (William L. Harkness Hall)

GALA -> 11:00 PM - 1:00 AM
155 Temple St, New Haven, CT (Barcelona Wine Bar)

FRIDAY 2.20

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION -> 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
1 Prospect St, New Haven CT (Sterling-Sheffield-Strathcona Hall)
DESSERT RECEPTION -> 9:30 PM - 11:00 PM
189 Elm St, New Haven CT (Grace Hopper College)