Society for Neuroscience


The Society for Neuroscience is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, DC, for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well known for its annual meeting, consistently one of the largest scientific conferences in the world.

History

SfN was founded in 1969 by Ralph W. Gerard and, at nearly 37,000 members, has grown to be the largest neuroscience society in the world. The stated mission of the society is to:
  1. Advance the understanding of the brain and the nervous system.
  2. Provide professional development activities, information, and educational resources.
  3. Promote public information and general education about science and neuroscience.
  4. Inform legislators and other policy makers about the implications of research for public policy, societal benefit, and continued scientific progress.
The Society publishes two peer-reviewed scientific journals. The Journal of Neuroscience publishes papers on a broad range of topics of general interest to those working on the nervous system. eNeuro is an open-access journal that publishes high-quality, broad-based, peer-reviewed research focused solely on the field of neuroscience.

Annual meeting

The Society holds an annual meeting that is attended by scientists and physicians from all around the world. The first annual meeting of the society was held in Washington, DC in 1971, and it was attended by 1,396 scientists. Subsequent meetings have been held annually in a variety of cities throughout the US, with the exception of the 1988 meeting, which was held in Canada. Attendance had increased to approximately 44,000 attendees, but dropped to approximately 27,700 in 2019. The 2018 meeting was held in San Diego, CA, and the 2019 meeting was held in Chicago, IL.

Presidents

The following people have been President of the Society:

Awards

SfN offers the following awards, fellowships, and honors: