Event description

The EMBL Insight Lecture 2026 will be presented by Dr. Justin Crocker, Group Leader at EMBL Heidelberg, on 27 November 2026, 10:30-12:00 CET.

Most of us know fruit flies as slightly annoying tiny flies we sometimes find in our kitchens. However, they are also very important model organisms in biology. Nearly 50 years ago, large-scale mutagenesis screens at EMBL, used fruit flies to uncover fundamental genetic principles of animal development. Today, scientists are using the same powerful experimental system to ask a different question: how do environmental chemicals affect living organisms?

In the EMBL Insight Lecture 2026, Dr. Justin Crocker will explore how he and his team combine classical genetics with automated imaging and behavioural analysis to reveal the often-hidden effects of chemical exposure on insects. Their recent work shows that many chemicals alter the behaviour of insects and affect their population dynamics without killing them, and that these effects can be amplified by warmer temperatures and chemical mixtures. Justin will also discuss how these approaches can be extended to mosquitoes, where insecticide exposure can unexpectedly alter behaviours relevant to disease transmission. Together, these studies highlight how studying whole organisms can help us understand life in our rapidly changing world.

Q&A session

The lecture will include a Question & Answer session and we encourage you and your students to ask questions to the speaker via the “Q&A” text chat function of the Zoom Webinar throughout the event. Those questions will be addressed in the final section of the lecture. On-site attendees will also have the opportunity to ask their questions during this section.

Registration (virtual event)

You may register to attend the virtual event either as individual or as group. To attend the lecture, please register by 24 November 2026 via the Live Streaming Registration Form, indicating whether you register as individual or group. You will be contacted by email within 7 days of registration at the latest to confirm your place at the event.

A couple of days before the event you will receive another email from us asking you to complete an event registration with Zoom which will provide you with access details to the event.

Registering a class

If you would like to attend the lecture with your class and will watch the lecture on a single electronic device (i.e. in the classroom), please choose the “group registration” option in the registration form. If you already know that your students will be watching individually from their own electronic devices (e.g. distance learning), please ask each student to fill in the registration form choosing the “individual registration” option.

Are you unsure at the time of registration whether you and your students will be watching the lecture as group or individually from home? In this case, we recommend you register your class as group. A couple of days before the event, we will ask you to complete an event registration with Zoom. At this point you can still decide to convert your group registration to individual registration, asking your students to complete their own event registrations with Zoom, so they receive individual Zoom access links for their personal devices.

Streaming

The lecture will be streamed using the “Zoom Webinar” tool. The access details will be shared with registered participants in the days preceding the event.

To watch the live stream, you will need a computer with sound output and stable internet connection (ideally Ethernet connection, not WiFi). If you watch the lecture in class, you may want to connect your computer to a projector and a sound system to stream the event to the group.

You do not need a Zoom account to participate. You can access the lecture either via the Zoom Client or via your web browser. For best audio and video quality during the event, we recommend to use the client. Your privacy: please note that participants will join the lecture in “listen-only” mode. Attendees will not be visible to others, and will not be able to interact via audio or camera. The list of attendees is only visible to the organisers, not to other participants.

Registration (On-site attendance)

The EMBL Insight Lecture will take place in the Klaus Tschira Auditorium located at the Advanced Training Centre (ATC) on the EMBL Campus in Heidelberg, Germany, and student groups are invited to join the event on site.

Please note that registration for live attendance of the lecture is only possible for student groups who must be accompanied by teaching personnel. At least one teacher should be present for every 15 students (i.e. a student group of 30 should be accompanied by at least 2 teachers).

For information on how to travel to EMBL, please visit the EMBL website.

Preliminary programme

    09:45 – 10:15 Schools arrive at EMBL

    10:30 – 10:45 Welcome by Dr. Vivien Freihen, Education and Outreach Manager

    10:45 – 12:00 EMBL Insight Lecture by Dr. Justin Crocker and Q&A

    12:00 – 12:45 Refreshments in the ATC foyer

    13:00 Event ends

Registering a class

To attend the lecture, please register your class by 20 November 2026 via the On-site Registration Form. You will be contacted by email within 7 days of registration to inform you about your place at the event. Seats will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Lecture series

More information on the concept behind EMBL Insight Lectures and recordings of previous lectures may be found here.