White Matter & Diffusion Study Groups:
24 Hours of Microstructure
Start: 23 March 2026 01:00 UTC
Call for Abstracts
Submission Deadline: 01 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC
This is a rolling, 24-hour virtual meeting hosted by the ISMRM Diffusion and White Matter Study Groups. On 23 March 2026 (starting 01:00 UTC), three regional blocks repeat a fast, value-packed format: tutorial-style educational lectures (diffusion, WM non‑diffusion, and beyond‑brain); “Meet the Teachers” Q&A; trainee orals and power pitches; themed poster discussions; and a social. Whether you build methods or apply them in the lab or clinic, come for practical education, fresh trainee science, and time‑zone-friendly networking. Talks on Zoom; posters/Q&A/socials in gather.town. Join the block/s that fit your day.
How It Runs (Three Live Blocks)
We repeat the same structure across three regional blocks so you can join what fits your day:
- Block A (Asia–Oceania friendly): starts 01:00 UTC
- Block B (Europe–Africa friendly): starts 09:00 UTC
- Block C (Americas friendly): starts 17:00 UTC
Each block includes:
- Welcome + Educational Lectures (Zoom): three concise, 30‑minute talks designed to teach—not just tell—covering diffusion, non‑diffusion WM contrasts, and at least one beyond‑brain topic.
- Meet the Teachers (Gather Town): small‑group Q&A with the speakers.
- Trainee Orals + Power Pitches (Zoom): short talks plus rapid 2‑minute pitches.
- Poster Discussions (Gather Town): themed poster clusters with live chats.
Social (Gather Town): light‑hearted quiz/mixer to close each block.
Who Should Attend
Method developers and users in MRI; neurologists, neuroradiologists, physicists, engineers, body imagers; trainees and PIs alike. If you work with diffusion, myelin/susceptibility/relaxometry, microvascular or multimodal readouts – and if you care about the link between signal and structure – this day is for you.
Educational Themes
- From Tensors to Tissue: A Practical Guide to Microstructure Models
- Myelin Without Diffusion: What MWF, qMT and R1 Actually Measure
- Seeing the Unseen: Building and Validating Biophysical Models with Microscopy
- From Acquisition to Parameters: A Practical Guide to Diffusion Microstructure Imaging
- MRI Biomarkers of Early Brain Health
- QC/QA for dMRI: From Raw Data to Reliable Parameters
Preliminary Schedule
| Block | Session | Platform | Time (UTC) | Wellington (NZ) |
Sydney (AUS) |
Tokyo (Japan) |
Bejing (China) |
New Dehli (India) |
Tel Aviv (Israel) |
Paris (FR) |
London (UK) |
Sao Paulo (BZ) |
New York (USA) |
Mexico City (MEX) |
Los Angeles (USA) |
Honolulu (USA) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block A (Asia–Oceania friendly) |
Welcome + Educational Lectures | Zoom | 01:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 | 10:00 | 09:00 | 06:30 | 03:00 | 02:00 | 01:00 | 22:00 | 20:00 | 19:00 | 17:00 | 15:00 | |||||
| Meet the Teachers | Gather Town | 02:30 | 15:30 | 13:30 | 11:30 | 10:30 | 08:00 | 04:30 | 03:30 | 02:30 | 23:30 | 21:30 | 20:30 | 18:30 | 16:30 | ||||||
| Orals + Power Pitches | Zoom | 03:00 | 16:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 08:30 | 05:00 | 04:00 | 03:00 | 00:00 | 22:00 | 21:00 | 19:00 | 17:00 | ||||||
| Poster Discussions | Gather Town | 04:00 | 17:00 | 15:00 | 13:00 | 12:00 | 09:30 | 06:00 | 05:00 | 04:00 | 01:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 20:00 | 18:00 | ||||||
| Social | Gather Town | 06:00 | 19:00 | 17:00 | 15:00 | 14:00 | 11:30 | 08:00 | 07:00 | 06:00 | 03:00 | 01:00 | 00:00 | 22:00 | 20:00 | ||||||
| Break | Block B (Europe–Africa friendly) |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Welcome + Educational Lectures | Zoom | 09:00 | 22:00 | 20:00 | 18:00 | 17:00 | 14:30 | 11:00 | 10:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 04:00 | 03:00 | 01:00 | 23:00 | ||||||
| Meet the Teachers | Gather Town | 10:30 | 23:30 | 21:30 | 19:30 | 18:30 | 16:00 | 12:30 | 11:30 | 10:30 | 07:30 | 05:30 | 04:30 | 02:30 | 00:30 | ||||||
| Orals + Power Pitches | Zoom | 11:00 | 00:00 | 22:00 | 20:00 | 19:00 | 16:30 | 13:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 | 06:00 | 05:00 | 03:00 | 01:00 | ||||||
| Poster Discussions | Gather Town | 12:00 | 01:00 | 23:00 | 21:00 | 20:00 | 17:30 | 14:00 | 13:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 | 07:00 | 06:00 | 04:00 | 02:00 | ||||||
| Social | Gather Town | 14:00 | 03:00 | 01:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 19:30 | 16:00 | 15:00 | 14:00 | 11:00 | 09:00 | 08:00 | 06:00 | 04:00 | ||||||
| Break | Block C (Americas friendly) |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Welcome + Educational Lectures | Zoom | 17:00 | 06:00 | 04:00 | 02:00 | 01:00 | 22:30 | 19:00 | 18:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 | 11:00 | 09:00 | 07:00 | ||||||
| Meet the Teachers | Gather Town | 18:30 | 07:30 | 05:30 | 03:30 | 02:30 | 00:00 | 20:30 | 19:30 | 18:30 | 15:30 | 13:30 | 12:30 | 10:30 | 08:30 | ||||||
| Orals + Power Pitches | Zoom | 19:00 | 08:00 | 06:00 | 04:00 | 03:00 | 00:30 | 21:00 | 20:00 | 19:00 | 16:00 | 14:00 | 13:00 | 11:00 | 09:00 | ||||||
| Poster Discussions | Gather Town | 20:00 | 09:00 | 07:00 | 05:00 | 04:00 | 01:30 | 22:00 | 21:00 | 20:00 | 17:00 | 15:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 | 10:00 | ||||||
| Social | Gather Town | 22:00 | 11:00 | 09:00 | 07:00 | 06:00 | 03:30 | 00:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 19:00 | 17:00 | 16:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 | ||||||
Registration Fees:
Registrant Type |
Fee |
Diffusion Study Group and/or White Matter Study Group Members |
FREE |
|
ISMRM/ISMRT Full Members who are NOT members of the Diffusion and/or White Matter Study Groups Join the Diffusion and/or White Matter Study Groups to get free registration! Email info@ismrm.org for information. Non-Members of ISMRM or ISMRT Join the ISMRM or SMRT and the Diffusion and/or White Matter Study Groups to get free registration! Log in here to apply. |
US$50.00 |
|
ISMRM/ISMRT Trainee Members Join the Diffusion and/or White Matter Study Groups to get free registration! Email info@ismrm.org for information. |
US$25.00 |
Preliminary Speakers
Advancements in Diffusion MRI for White Matter Analysis Using Deep Learning
Fang Rongzong, Ph.D.
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
Beijing, China
DWI in the Body
Nitzan Avidan Pearl, M.Sc., & Moti Freiman, Ph. D.
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, Israel
Non-Diffusion Microstructure: Histology, Medical Imaging, Contrasts, Biology
Jongho Lee, Ph.D.
Seoul National University
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Seeing the Unseen: Building & Validating Biophysical Models with Microscopy
Malte Brammerloh, Ph.D.
University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), UNIL
Lausanne, Switzerland
From Acquisition to Parameters: A Practical Guide to Diffusion Microstructure Imaging
Rafael Henriques, Ph.D.
Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation
Lisboa, Portugal
From Microstructure to Development: MRI Biomarkers of Early Brain Health
Kirsten Donald, MBChB, Ph.D.
University of Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa
From Tensors to Tissue: A Practical Guide to Microstructure Models
Jennifer Campbell, Ph.D.
McGill University
Montreal, QC, Canada
Myelin Without Diffusion
Irene Vavasour, Ph.D.
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Canada
From Diffusion to Reliable Parameters
Jelle Veraart, Ph.D.
NYU School of Medicine
New York, NY, USA
