SAVE THE DATE: 12–16 July 2026

ISMB 2026, ISCB’s flagship conference, returns to Washington, DC—the very city where ISCB and ISMB began in 1994. This is a landmark moment! Together, we’ll celebrate over 30 years of advancing computational biology.

🔬🧬 A hub of science and global collaboration
Washington, DC is home to the NIH, NSF, FDA, and countless other organizations that drive the life sciences. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to connect your work with fellow researchers and agencies shaping global biomedical research.

🌎 Easy global access
DC is served by three major international airports (IAD, DCA, BWI), with direct flights from virtually every region of the world, minimizing costly connections and long transfers.

🏛️ Historic and cultural richness
The city offers world-class museums, monuments, and vibrant neighborhoods. Nearly all Smithsonian museums have free admission, making it easy to experience the history and culture that frame global scientific dialogue.

🔄 A symbolic return
By returning to DC after more than three decades, ISMB underscores the global evolution of our field from a fledgling discipline in 1994 to a cornerstone of modern biology today.



The annual international conference on Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) is the flagship meeting of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB). The 2026 meeting is the 34th ISMB conference, which has grown to become the world's largest bioinformatics and computational biology conference. ISMB 2026 will be the year's most important computational biology event!

The international meeting will be held in-person at the Washington Hilton and virtually through ISCB's Nucleus platform.

The principal focus of the ISMB conference is on the development and application of advanced computational methods to address biological problems, and it brings together researchers from computer science, bioinformatics, computational biology, molecular biology, mathematics, statistics, and related fields. The conference provides a multidisciplinary platform for sharing the latest advancements in bioinformatics and computational biology, fostering new dialogues and perspectives to shape the future of the field.

With the ever-increasing interest in ISCB’s Communities of Special Interest (COSIs), conference organization actively involves COSIs in program development to help highlight emerging research areas and to deliver an exceptional and research-driven event!

In-person participants will have the opportunity to enjoy:

  • in-person training workshops and tutorials
  • the Student Council Symposium
  • more than 600 expected scientific talks
  • exclusive networking events
  • the ability to make new connections when utilizing the attendee profile and match maker features within the virtual platform
  • the option to schedule one-on-one time with speakers, poster presenters, exhibitors, and sponsors to learn more about their work, products, or services
  • exclusive access to the ISMB 2026 on-demand repository of talks and poster presentations to catch up on any missed sessions

Virtual participants can enjoy:

  • livestream and on-demand access to sessions and tutorials, benefiting attendees from all time zones
  • a live question and answer feature to engage with the speaker during sessions
  • the live chat feature to engage with other participants within virtual session rooms
  • the ability to make new connections when utilizing the attendee profile and match maker features within the virtual platform
  • exclusive access to the ISMB 2026 on-demand repository of talks and poster presentations to catch up on any missed sessions


ISMB 2026 bolsters its reputation as the leading conference in the field, with the strongest scientific and technical program that showcases the best international developments in bioinformatics and computational biology.

Join us July 12–16 in Washington, D.C., United States of America!