2026 Environmental Sciences: Water Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

About This Grant

The Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Sciences: Water is to be held June 14-19, 2026, in Holderness, NH. The 2026 conference theme is Novel Approaches and Tools to Address Aquatic Impacts on Human and Environmental Health and will feature a program of thought-provoking research by leading researchers and experts in the field of water quality science and technology. The conference will bring together 190 participants from multiple countries in an immersive and informal setting. The program will feature a series of plenary talks by established and emerging researchers, as well as daily poster sessions by conference attendees. The overarching theme of the 2026 conference recognizes that state-of-the-art research is needed to understand challenges facing water resources, and to develop solutions to address these challenges. Ensuring water quality is critical for protecting human and ecosystem health, as well as maintaining ecosystem services. This conference will showcase innovative researchers who focus on current water resources challenges, including the presence of persistent contaminants and pathogens, access to clean water for communities, and environmental stresses on water. This aspect of the conference will provide a forum for discussing and evaluating the most pressing water issues of our time. The conference will highlight scientists who directly study environmental impacts through field measurements and community engagement, along with those working at the science-policy interface. Specific aims of the conference are to: 1) Feature a scientific program that links water quality issues, the protection of human health, and sustainability of environmental resources through a plenary program of leading researchers from different fields and perspectives - themes include chemical and biological exposures, human health impacts, and innovative solutions for the management of water resources; 2) Advance discovery while promoting mentoring, networking and learning by offering a platform for graduate student and postdoctoral researchers to present their research at the full conference, as well as provide a venue for informal interactions between senior scientists and trainees and broad participation of scientists from different professional settings; and 3) Provide a conference that fosters discussion and debate of research results through close interaction of participants from academia, industry, and government laboratories. Funds will be used to support the attendance of invited plenary speakers, as well as graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. Outcomes related to the quality of the scientific program, discussion, management, and atmosphere will be evaluated through surveys of conference attendees. 1