The 3rd Codon Usage Conference:

Function, Mechanism and Evolution

Montreal, Canada (May 31-June 3, 2026)

The 4th Codon Usage Conference will be in the spring of 2028 in Barcelona, Spain.

About the Conference

Codon usage bias—the preference for certain synonymous codons—is a key factor in genome regulation. Codon usage and synonymous codon mutations have been shown to influence gene expression, protein conformation, RNA stability, organismal fitness, and human disease. Together, these findings reveal codon usage as an additional layer of genetic information that shapes diverse biological processes.

Following the success of the first two International Conferences on Codon Usage held in Edinburgh in 2022 and 2024, we are establishing this meeting as a biennial series. This will be the only international conference dedicated to understanding the functions of codon usage, the mechanisms underlying codon usage–mediated regulation, and the evolution of codon usage bias and genomes. The conference will focus on (1) translational regulation, (2) mRNA metabolism, (3) protein folding, (4) fitness and genome evolution, (5) new computational and experimental methods. Our goal is to bring together leading researchers, students, and postdoctoral scholars from academia and industry worldwide to advance the study of codon usage and its far-reaching biological impacts.

The in person only conference will start in the evening of May 31 and end in the afternoon of June 3. Early registration deadline April 15, 2026.

If you need a visa to enter Canada, please contact us after your registration for a support letter. The registration fee will be refunded if visa application is not successful.

https://sites.google.com/view/codonusage/h

Registration

Organizers:

Yi Liu

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Alex Palazzo

University of Toronto

Maria Vera Ugalde

McGill University

Patricia Clark

University of Notre Dame

Grzegorz Kudla

University of Edinburgh

Pilpel Yitzhak

Weizmann Institute

Contact:

Yi Liu: Yi.Liu@UTSouthwestern.edu

Alex Palazzo: Alex.Palazzo@utoronto.ca

Maria Vera Ugalde: Maria.veraugalde@mcgill.ca

Montreal is Canada's second-largest city and the largest city in the province of Quebec, known for its blend of French and English cultures, rich history, and vibrant arts scene. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, it's situated on an island in the St. Lawrence River and is named for the triple-peaked Mount Royal at its center. The city is a major cultural hub with a unique mix of old-world charm, with its cobblestone streets and historic architecture, and modern amenities, including a large underground city network.

Invited Speakers

Hiroshi Akashi

National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan

Martin Bushell

University of Glasgow, UK

Can Cenik

University of Texas at Austin, USA

Hong Cheng

Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (SIBCB), China

Ilka Heinemann

Western University, Canada

Laurence D. Hurst

University of Bath, UK

Anton A. Komar

Cleveland State University, USA

Liana Lareau

University of California, Berkeley, USA

Paul Lehner

University of Cambridge, UK

Joshua Mendell

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA

Fanny Pouyet

Université Paris-Saclay, France

Sara Rabhi

NVIDIA, USA

Marina V. Rodnina

Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Germany

Nahum Sonenberg

McGill University, Canada

Shira Weingarten-Gabbay

Harvard University, USA

Qi Xie

Westlake University,

Hangzhou, China

Bojan Žagrović

University of Vienna, Austria

Zhipeng Zhou

Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China

Oral presentations will be selected from abstracts submitted before April 15. Please indicate your preference for an oral presentation in the registration.

The Venue

Grande Bibliothèque - BAnQ

475 Boul. de Maisonneuve E, Montréal, QC H2L 5C4, Canada

Registration

Early Registration Fee (before April 15, 2026 UK time):

Students/Postdocs (GBP 375), Faculty/PI (GBP 475), Industry (GBP 800)

Late Registration Fee (from Apil 15-May 31, 2026 UK time). Registration will close on May 31, 2026.

Students/Postdocs (GBP 500), Faculty/PI (GBP 600), Industry (GBP 900).

(The currency is in GBP not CAD because the registration is administered by University of Edinburgh)

The conference center is limited to 200 people. To ensure your registration, please register as soon as possible.

Many oral presentations will be selected from abstracts submitted before April 15. Please indicate your preference for an oral presentation in the registration.

Poster Dimension: 36" x 48"

Registration includes:

Access to all speaker talks, poster sessions

Digital abstract book

Reception

Coffee, lunch and dinner

Registration

A few travel awards will be available to students/postdoc based on financial need and contribution to the conference. Priority will be given to those who will present their results in the meeting. To nominate, the mentor should send a brief nomination letter to the contact emails after registration.

For those need an invitation letter for Canadian visa application, please contact us after registration.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation is not included in the registration fee. Participants should book a hotel. There are many hotels that are within working distance to the conference venue.