Events
FREE APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
INFEST-igate Lyme 2027
Advancing Lyme Disease Research Through Collaboration, Innovation, and Community
Join leading Lyme disease investigators from diverse disciplines for two days of
scientific exchange, networking, mentorship, and collaboration. Attendance is
FREE for accepted applicants
June 16–17, 2027
Tufts University
100 attendees max
A Research Meeting Designed by Researchers, for Researchers
INFEST-igate Lyme is a unique conference bringing together investigators across the Lyme disease research community to share knowledge, establish collaborations, and accelerate scientific progress.
Designed through a community-driven approach, this meeting encourages diverse perspectives and provides a platform for emerging ideas that may not always have opportunities to be heard at larger conferences.
The conference focuses on advancing the field through meaningful interaction among researchers at every career stage from postdoctoral training and beyond.
Why Attend?
An Interactive Conference Experience
Unlike traditional scientific meetings, INFEST-igate Lyme is designed to maximize engagement and collaboration.
Collaborate Across Disciplines
Connect with investigators working in microbiology, immunology, ecology, clinical research, public health, diagnostics, therapeutics, and more.
Build Your Professional Network
Meet established leaders, early-career investigators, funding representatives, and future collaborators.
Advance Your Research
Participate in focused discussions and receive valuable feedback on ideas, projects, and funding strategies.
Support Career Development
A key mission of the conference is to strengthen the pipeline of future Lyme disease researchers through mentorship and professional growth opportunities.
What Makes INFEST-igate Different?
A Meeting Built for Interaction
The conference is intentionally structured to encourage meaningful conversations and relationship building.
Highlights include:
Speed networking sessions
Collaborative team-building activities
Shark Tank-style idea presentations to Lyme funding agencies
Scientific quiz competitions
"Who Wants to Be a Grantee Millionaire?"
Research elevator pitches
Presenters in all of the events and talks will receive training from session chairs before the meeting to help maximize the effectiveness of their presentations.
Scientific Program
Focused, Fast-Paced Research Presentations
Scientific sessions emphasize concise, high-impact communication through short elevator-pitch style research presentations. All talks are selected by a committee from submitted abstracts.
Topics will include:
Lyme disease pathogenesis
Host-pathogen interactions
Tick biology
Immunology
Diagnostics
Therapeutics
Epidemiology
Vector ecology
Emerging research directions
Representatives from major Lyme disease funding organizations will also discuss current priorities and provide practical guidance for preparing competitive research applications.
Important Dates
Applications
NOW OPEN
Application Review
November 2026
Notification of Acceptance
December 2026
Conference Dates
June 16–17, 2027
Who Can Participate? - Eligibility
The conference is open to:
Postdoctoral researchers
Faculty investigators
Government researchers
Industry scientists
Nonprofit and foundation researchers
To maintain an interactive and highly collaborative environment:
Participation is limited to 100 attendees.
The conference is open to investigators at the postdoctoral level and above.
Planning Committees
Social Networking Committee
Joseph Beyene
Harvard University
Melissa Caimano
University of CT
Peter Gwynne *
Tufts University School of Medicine
Liz Horn
Lyme Disease Biobank
Brandon Jutras**
Northwestern University
Yi-Pin Lin
Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Trever Smith
Tufts University School of Medicine
Mark Wooten
University of Toledo
Scientific Sessions Committee
Jessica Brown
CT Agricultural Station
Jenifer Coburn
Medical College of WI
Sue Faber
LymeHope
Maria Gomes-Solecki
University of TN
Mara Kuvaldina
Columbia University
Sukanya Narasimhan
Yale University
Lise Nigrovic
Boston Children's Hospital
Joao Pedra *
University of MD
Tanja Petnicki-Ocwieja
Tufts University School of Medicine
Raj Priya
Indiana University
Justin Radolf
University of CT
Nick Takacs
Tufts University Dental School
Grants and Funders Committee
Philip Adams *
NIAID
Armin Alaedini
Global Lyme Alliance
Jeff Bourgeois
Worchester Polytechnic Institute
Nadine Bowden
NIAID
Poulami Chatterjee
Stanford University
Cara DeAngelis
Global Lyme Alliance
Brian Stevenson
University of KY
Katariina Tuovinen
Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Jenny Wachter
University of Saskatchewan
Ashley Wilkins
NIAID
*Committee lead
** In memorium, we are grateful to Brandon for his work on the committee and will miss him greatly
Applications are Now Open
Space is limited to 100 participants to preserve the collaborative and interactive nature of the meeting.
Explore the Preliminary Program
View the preliminary agenda and planned session topics.
Join the Next Generation of Lyme Disease Discovery
INFEST-igate Lyme 2027 brings together investigators who are committed to advancing Lyme disease research through open discussion, mentorship, collaboration, and innovation.
We look forward to welcoming you to Tufts University in June 2027.
Recent Event:
INFEST-igate LYME, June 20-21st, 2024, Boston, MA
Lyme Researchers Networking Conference
The Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative sponsored a conference for Lyme disease researchers June 20-21st, at Tufts University, Medford, MA. The goal of this conference was to develop networks within the Lyme research community to ensure the future of the next generation of investigators. It was a different kind of conference filled with elevator pitches, speed networking for collaborations, meet the funders and “Shark tank” evaluation of proposals!!
Attendance was open to Lyme faculty researchers at all levels and to post-doctoral fellows. We had over 100 attendees. We are proud to report that we accepted 100% of applicants and offered talks to all who requested.
Selected comments from attendees:
by far the best conference I have ever attended
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the speed networking but it was fun even for a shy person like me
I loved that people were kept to time in such a creative way, loved the walkoff music
I really prefer the elevator pitches to posters; I wish more conferences would take this approach
I can’t wait for the next one
The Final Program is available here.
Organizing committee:
Alan Barbour, University of California, Irvine
Jorge Benach, Stonybrook University
Linda Bockenstedt, Yale University
Jenifer Coburn, Medical College of Wisconsin
Linden Hu, Tufts University
John Leong, Tufts University
Justin Radolf, University of Connecticut
Patti Rosa, Rocky Mountain Laboratories (emeritus)
Ira Schwartz, New York Medical College
Janis Weis, University of Utah
Planning committee:
Trever Smith, Chair, Tufts University
Philip Adams, National Institutes of Health
Nicole Baumgarth, Johns Hopkins University
Jeffrey Bourgeois, Tufts University
Nadine Bowden, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Brandon Jutras, Virginia Tech
Maria Gomes-Solecki, University of Tennessee
Yi-Pin Lin, Tufts University
Sukanya Narasimhan, Yale University
Nicholas Ogden, Public Health Agency of Canada
Raj Priya, Indiana University
Sajith Raghunandanan, Indiana University
Isobel Ronai, Harvard University
Bikash Sahay, University of Florida
Nick Takacs, Northeastern University
Michal Tal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alvaro Toledo, Rutgers University
Mark Wooten, University of Toledo
Wolf Zuckert, University of Kansas
We are grateful to our sponsors:
Hugh Roome
Pfizer
Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Previous Event: Lyme Challenge Video Contest
What was the Tufts Lyme Disease Challenge?
A day of panel discussions, breakout sessions, team competition, food and prizes – as Tufts meets the challenge to end Lyme disease by 2030!
Supported by Tufts University Trustee, Hugh Roome, the Lyme Disease Challenge was a competition to encourage the best young minds of the University to work together in teams to solve some of the many issues that have stood in the way of reducing Lyme disease.
The afternoon begun with an introduction to Lyme disease and the public health problem it presents by Dr. Amy Ullmann of CDC. This was followed by short, focused panel discussions highlighting some of the major barriers to success in controlling Lyme disease and an examination of why it continues to expand despite our best efforts. We discussed gaps in public policy, education, diagnosis, treatment, animal health, ecology/epidemiology and basic knowledge about the organism causing the disease.
The participants had the opportunity to form teams and develop their approaches with the assistance of the coaches who brought expertise in specific areas of Lyme disease.
Teams then presented their ideas to the group at the end of the day for feedback. After the event, teams were asked to submit video proposals that competed for funding to help turn their ideas into action.